Divya Mittal emerges as new INDIA bloc flashpoint as Congress, SP vie for her

The INDIA bloc appears to be at odds over former IAS officer Divya Mittal, who has emerged as a new point of interest for the Congress and the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. While there has been speculation about Mittal joining the Congress, the Samajwadi Party is also making efforts to associate her with the party, according to the sources.

For the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, Mittal's entry is not just about adding another face to their ranks. It comes at a time when alliance politics in Uttar Pradesh is taking shape ahead of the elections, making her political move significant for both parties.

The speculation gained further attention after Mittal's picture appeared on a poster of Raja Bhaiya's Jan Satta Dal Loktantrik Party. However, even as political parties appear interested in bringing her into their fold, Mittal has chosen a different path: entering politics without joining any established party.

Mittal, a 2013-batch Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer, resigned from the civil services on August 30 after around 13 years in the bureaucracy. Her resignation immediately fuelled speculation about what she would do next, particularly with the assembly elections approaching.

The speculation intensified after BJP spokesperson Prashant Umrao alleged in a now-deleted post on X that Mittal had held a secret meeting with Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, "under the cover of darkness".

Umrao linked her resignation to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections and suggested that she could join the Congress ahead of the polls. Mittal, however, has now offered a different picture of her political plans.

Nearly a month after leaving the IAS, the former bureaucrat announced her entry into politics but made it clear that she would not join any political party.

In a nine-minute video message shared across her social media platforms on Tuesday, September 29, Mittal addressed the questions that had followed her resignation.

"I resigned from IAS last month and left many questions behind. This is a big task, and I was gathering courage. Today I have come to answer. What next? The answer is politics," she said.

But the politics she has chosen to enter, she said, would not begin under the banner of an established party. Instead, she has appealed to people to support her initiative and shared a WhatsApp number for those who want to connect with her.

For now, Mittal's political journey begins without a party flag. Her entry into politics is clear, but where that journey eventually takes her, and whether she continues outside established political structures, remains open.

The 42-year-old former IAS officer said she would begin her political journey from Uttar Pradesh, which she described as her karmabhoomi or working place.

"Politics not with any party, but with the people," Mittal said.

The Haryana native said she wanted to work directly with people and become the voice of those whose concerns often fail to reach government offices.

Her decision to enter politics, she explained, was shaped by what she had witnessed during her years in administration.