Former IAS officer Divya Mittal announces entry into politics, says will begin journey from Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow ( Raghwendra Pratap Singh) : Former IAS officer Divya Mittal on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) announced her entry into politics independently, saying she would begin her political journey from Uttar Pradesh and strive to become the voice of people whose grievances often fail to reach government offices.

In a video statement on X, Ms. Mittal, who resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after a 13-year career on August 30, said she wanted to create a platform that would be concerned about the country’s future.

“I want to be the voice of those people whose voices cannot reach any office and, even if they do, are not heard,” she said and added that she wanted to “seek an account of the country’s 80 years since Independence”.

An alumni of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore and a former Wall Street trader, Ms. Mittal cited several experiences from her administrative career to explain her decision, including the case of a woman in a hilly village who, despite lacking water at home, sought a school beyond Class 5 for children in her village.

She said the school was approved but had not started construction even after three years, questioning whether the delay was due to lack of funds, rules or approval, or simply lack of intent.

Recalling another case from her tenure as special secretary in the Revenue Department, Ms. Mittal said a landless man, who had received a government land allotment, did not get possession of the land despite having the necessary documents.

She alleged that an incorrect report in the matter was subsequently withdrawn after intervention, but said efforts to secure possession later encountered an instruction that it had been stopped “from above”.

Ms. Mittal said she wanted to raise questions about such cases, as well as infrastructure gaps, road conditions, deaths allegedly linked to poor infrastructure, examination-related concerns and the future of young people amid the growth of artificial intelligence.She said politics should focus on “intent, justice, concern and thought” rather than merely changing individual political leaders.