Divya Mittal, former IAS officer, has entered politics independently after 13 years in civil service, choosing to stay in Uttar Pradesh without joining any party

New Delhi: Divya Mittal, a 2013-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has moved from administration to politics after 13 years in the civil services. She resigned from the IAS on August 30, 2026, ending a career that included postings as district magistrate in Mirzapur and Deoria. On September 29, she announced that she would enter politics in Uttar Pradesh. She has ruled out joining any existing political party and said she wants to build an independent political path with citizens.

Who is Divya Mittal?

Born on November 23, 1983, Mittal is originally from Rewari in Haryana and grew up in Delhi, which remains her official domicile. She is married to Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, also a former IAS officer.

Mittal studied Engineering Physics at IIT Delhi from 2001 to 2005. She later completed an MBA at IIM Bangalore between 2005 and 2007. She also completed a MicroMasters in Data, Economics and Development Policy from MITx between 2019 and 2020.

From IIT Delhi to a banking career in London

After completing her MBA, Mittal moved to London and worked in the finance sector. Around 2007-08, she worked as an associate and derivatives trader at JP Morgan.

She eventually left the corporate career and returned to India, later explained that despite working abroad, felt something was incomplete. She then began preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

Mittal qualified for the Indian Police Service in her first attempt in 2012. In her second attempt in 2013, she secured All India Rank 68 and joined the IAS in the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Why she came back to India

Mittal’s decision to return to India marked a major change in her career. Instead of continuing in London’s financial sector, she chose the civil services and entered public administration.

Her career subsequently took her through several administrative roles in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre. She also completed further studies in data, economics and development policy through MITx.

Thirteen years in the IAS: the postings that shaped her

Mittal’s administrative career included a wide range of field and policy assignments.

She served briefly as an Assistant Secretary at NITI Aayog in 2015. Her Uttar Pradesh postings included Joint Magistrate in Meerut, Chief Development Officer in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Joint Managing Director of UPSIDA in Kanpur Nagar and Vice-Chairperson of the Bareilly Development Authority.

She later served as District Magistrate of Sant Kabir Nagar from 2020 to 2022. She became Mirzapur DM in September 2022 and later served as Deoria DM from July 2024 to May 2026.

In May 2026, she moved to the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Department as Special Secretary. She remained in that position until her resignation.

The Mirzapur story that made her known nationally

Mittal’s tenure as Mirzapur DM brought her wider public attention, particularly because of work to provide piped drinking water to Lahuria Dah, a remote hill village.

The village had depended on water tankers for its drinking-water needs. The project brought piped water to the village and became one of the most widely discussed episodes of her administrative career.

The experience also stayed with Mittal after she left Mirzapur. In her September 29 political announcement, she recalled a woman from Lahuria Dah asking for a higher class to be added to the local school because the school then went only up to Class 5.

Reports have also cited government sources who said Mittal had differences with Apna Dal (Soneylal) MP and Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel during her Mirzapur tenure. This remains an account attributed to government sources, rather than a claim made by Mittal herself.

A quiet resignation, an emotional goodbye

Mittal announced her resignation from the IAS on August 30, 2026, through an emotional social media post reflecting on her 13-year journey. At the time, she did not give a detailed explanation for leaving the service.

She later told ThePrint: “Nothing has triggered me. It’s just that, for the past few months, I have been thinking that I am done with this job.” She also said she had not planned her next steps at that point and would speak about them when the time came.

The Uttar Pradesh government accepted her resignation with effect from September 15, formally ending her IAS career.

The announcement: politics, but on her own terms

On September 29, nearly a month after announcing her resignation, Mittal revealed her next step in a video message.

She said she would enter politics but would not join any existing political party. Instead, she wants to work directly with citizens and develop an independent political platform around their concerns.

Mittal said: “I will stay in UP. I won’t be afraid; I will ask questions.”

She described Uttar Pradesh as more than just a place where she worked. She said she had developed a close connection with people in the state and wanted to begin her political journey there.

And also shared a phone number and WhatsApp contact and asked people who connect with her idea to reach out.

What she says she wants to fix

Mittal’s political message draws heavily from problems she encountered during her administrative career.

In her video, she referred to education, land disputes, roads, bridges, road safety and examination paper leaks. She spoke about situations where government approvals or resources existed but problems still remained unresolved.

Her Lahuria Dah example was particularly specific. She recalled the woman who asked for a higher class in the village school, highlighting the gap between basic government services and what people need on the ground.

She also urged citizens to participate in bringing change instead of waiting for one person to solve every problem. Recent reports similarly describe her proposed platform as one focused on public issues and direct engagement with citizens.

What’s still unknown about Divya Mittal

Mittal has not announced a specific constituency or confirmed that she will contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

Before her September 29 announcement, some reports had suggested that Mirzapur or Deoria could be possible starting points because of her association with the two districts. Those reports were speculative, however, and Mittal has not confirmed either constituency. Her September 29 announcement only established that Uttar Pradesh will be the starting point of her political journey.

She has also clearly said that she does not intend to join an existing political party. Her next organisational and electoral steps therefore remain to be announced.

What comes next

Divya Mittal’s transition from the IAS to independent politics marks a new phase after 13 years in public administration. She has identified Uttar Pradesh as the starting point and has outlined several public issues based on her experience as an administrator. The structure of her political initiative, its organisation and any decision on electoral contests remain to be clarified.