Former IAS officer Divya Mittal on Tuesday 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, 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, 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, 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She alleged that an incorrect report in the matter was subsequently withdrawn after intervention, but said efforts to secure possession later encountered an instruction that it had been stopped “from above”.
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.
“The objective is not only to change one politician; politics has to change,” she said.
Mittal also said she would not enter politics under the banner of any existing political party. Instead, she said, she would build a platform with citizens who supported her and would not be deterred by money, muscle power or caste and religious calculations.
“I’m not afraid. I will keep asking questions,” she said, adding that she wanted to create a platform that would be concerned about the country’s future.
On her decision to begin the political journey in Uttar Pradesh, Mittal described the state as her “karmabhoomi” and said people there had supported her during her administrative career.
“I came here as an officer, but the people here made me their daughter,” she said, adding that the state’s people and soil had taught her about her purpose.
Mittal said she believed change was possible in the country and argued that Uttar Pradesh had historically played an important role in India’s journey.
Her announcement comes months ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, with Mittal saying her political initiative would be shaped jointly with citizens.
Mittal was the special secretary in the Revenue Department in Lucknow when she tendered her resignation. She had earlier notably worked as the district magistrate in Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar.
During her tenure as Mirzapur district magistrate, she had gained widespread attention after tap water was brought for the first time to Lahuriadah, a remote hill village in Halia block, 75 years after Independence.
Locals remember her tenure in Deoria for her efforts in implementing government schemes at the grassroots level and for her decisive administrative actions. (PTI)
