Former IAS officer Divya Mittal announces independent political platform in Uttar Pradesh

Former Indian Administrative Service officer Divya Mittal has announced her entry into politics independently, saying she will begin the journey in Uttar Pradesh. In a video statement on X on Tuesday, Ms. Mittal said she wanted to become a voice for people whose grievances often fail to reach government offices or are not heard when they do.

She resigned from the IAS on August 30 after a 13-year career. Ms. Mittal said she would build a platform with citizens rather than contest politics under the banner of an existing political party.

She said the initiative would not be deterred by money, muscle power or caste and religious calculations. She cited administrative cases to explain her decision. One involved a woman from a hill village who wanted a school beyond Class 5 for local children despite lacking water at home.

Ms. Mittal said the school was approved but construction had not begun after three years. She also recalled the case of a landless man who had received a government land allotment but had not obtained possession despite having the relevant documents.

She alleged that an incorrect report was withdrawn after intervention, but that later efforts encountered an instruction that the matter had been stopped “from above”. Ms. Mittal said her political concerns would include infrastructure gaps, road conditions, deaths allegedly linked to poor infrastructure, examination-related issues and the future of young people as artificial intelligence develops.

She described Uttar Pradesh as her “karmabhoomi” and said people there had supported her during her administrative career. Her announcement comes months before the State Assembly polls, with the initiative to be shaped jointly with citizens. Ms.

Mittal previously served as district magistrate in Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar, and was special secretary in the Revenue Department in Lucknow when she resigned.