Politics sans party, polls on mind: Former IAS officer Divya Mittal takes the plunge

Announcing her political entry in a video message on X on Tuesday, Mittal said: “I will do politics, but not with any political party. I will do politics with people.” Calling Uttar Pradesh her “karmabhoomi”, Mittal said she would “fearlessly struggle” for people’s problems. She also shared her phone and WhatsApp numbers and invited those who identified with her message to contact her and join the initiative.

The IAS chapter may be over for Divya Mittal, but her public-life journey is taking a political turn. With 2027 on the horizon, the former bureaucrat has stepped into politics, as anticipated, but without joining a political party. However, she has not ruled out an electoral debut in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Divya Mittal said there was no particular inspiration but “agony” over what she had witnessed during her stint as an IAS officer. (File)

Talking to HT, Mittal said she was open to contesting an election. “If I decide to contest the 2027 assembly election, I will inform people and seek their suggestions as well.”

On what inspired her to enter politics, Mittal said there was no particular inspiration but “agony” over what she had witnessed during her stint as an IAS officer.

“During my stint as an IAS officer, I saw that the voice of people was not heard and their problems were not addressed. I am talking about the whole paradigm and not about a period. My aim is not to change a politician. My statement might look very ambitious to the people. I decided that we should start working for the change,” she said.

Announcing her political entry in a video message on X on Tuesday, Mittal said: “I will do politics, but not with any political party. I will do politics with people.”

Calling Uttar Pradesh her “karmabhoomi”, Mittal said she would “fearlessly struggle” for people’s problems. She also shared her phone and WhatsApp numbers and invited those who identified with her message to contact her and join the initiative.

During her stint in the bureaucracy, Mittal had raised questions about the functioning of government machinery and the gap between official decisions and implementation. She cited the example of a school in Lahuria Deh village in Mirzapur that remained pending for three years despite a proposal and funds being available. She also spoke about a landless man who had allotment papers but no possession. Mittal said she found an official report on the matter to be false, while the officer concerned told her that there were directions from “above” not to proceed.

Mittal said politics should focus on accountability, justice and the future of children rather than caste and religious equations. She said she wanted to build a platform with people without relying on money or muscle power.

Mittal, a 2013-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, resigned from the civil services on August 30. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) accepted her resignation on September 14, bringing her 13-year career in the civil services to an end.

She had served as district magistrate of Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Deoria before being posted as special secretary, Revenue.

Originally from Rewari district in Haryana, Mittal is an IIT-Delhi and IIM-Bangalore alumna. After completing her MBA, she worked in London before returning to India to prepare for the UPSC civil services examination. She cleared the examination in her second attempt in 2013, securing rank 68.