Former Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Divya Mittal on Tuesday, 29 September formally announced her entry into politics, days after her resignation from the Indian Administrative Service was accepted. In a video message addressed to the public, Mittal said her political journey would be rooted in Uttar Pradesh and that she would contest independently — aligned with citizens rather than any political party.

The Announcement

Describing herself as the 'voice of the people', Mittal framed her political debut around three pillars: accountability, justice, and the grievances of ordinary citizens. In her video message, she said, 'Hello, I am Divya Mittal. Just a few days ago, I resigned from the IAS, and left many questions in your mind. I did not answer for a few days because the work was huge and I was gathering courage, but today I have come to answer those questions. What next? With whom and from where?'

She added, 'The first question is what next? Politics. People told me that you have become everything; what else do you want to become? I want to become a voice, the voice of those people whose voice does not reach any office and, even if it reaches, is not heard. I want an account of the 80 years of my country's independence.'

Incidents That Shaped Her Decision

Mittal drew on specific episodes from her administrative career to explain why she chose politics over continued public service. During an inspection of the water supply system in Lahuria Dah, a village woman approached her requesting a school beyond Class 5. Mittal said she examined the applicable rules, approved the school — yet more than three years later, construction had not begun.

'There was just no will. If there had been will, even the mountain would have given way, but if there had been no will, a single file became a mountain,' she said, calling for accountability on such institutional delays.

In a separate incident during her tenure as Special Secretary, a landless man presented documents showing he had been allotted government land but never received possession. An inquiry reportedly found the official report on the matter to be incorrect. Mittal said she intervened, the report was withdrawn, and the responsible official was prosecuted — yet the issue of possession itself remained unresolved.

Systemic Issues She Plans to Raise

Mittal also flagged the poor state of rural infrastructure — absent roads and bridges, deteriorating road conditions, and the hardship faced by children and families during the monsoon season. She questioned whether accidents arising from such deficiencies should continue to be treated as routine misfortune rather than failures of governance.

On youth employment, she raised concerns about examination paper leaks, prolonged government recruitment cycles, and the growing displacement of jobs by artificial intelligence. As a mother of two daughters, she said she was deeply concerned about the future her children's generation would inherit.

'Today, there is everything in our politics, there is power, there is noise, but there is no thinking. I want an account of that lack of thinking,' she said.

Her Background and Resignation

Mittal is a 2013-batch IAS officer who served for nearly 13 years before stepping down. Her resignation was accepted in September 2025. She served as District Magistrate in Mirzapur and Deoria, and was widely recognised for her work on extending piped water access to remote villages in Mirzapur. Her announcement on 29 September fulfilled a public commitment she had made weeks earlier, when she indicated she would reveal her next step on that date.

Notably, Mittal's entry into politics without a party affiliation is unusual in Uttar Pradesh's intensely party-driven electoral landscape, where independent candidates have historically struggled to convert public goodwill into electoral outcomes. How she structures her movement — and whether she eventually seeks a formal platform — will determine the scale of her political impact.