Ex-IAS officer Divya Mittal launches party, to contest 2027 UP polls

• Former IAS officer Divya Mittal launches Jan Neeti Bharat and announces plans to contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

• The party promises citizen-centred policymaking and greater government accountability.

• Mittal draws on her 13-year administrative career to highlight gaps in public-service delivery, education and land rights.

Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Divya Mittal on Thursday, 15 October announced the launch of her political party, Jan Neeti Bharat, and said it would contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

In a video message posted on X, Mittal said the party would seek to place citizens at the centre of policymaking and ensure that governments remained accountable to them throughout their five-year terms, rather than engaging with voters only during elections.

"Politics rules over you. In Jan Neeti, you will be the ones who rule," she said while announcing the party's name and its plans to enter electoral politics.

The announcement comes just over two weeks after Mittal, who resigned from the IAS following a 13-year career, declared her intention to enter politics. On 29 September, she had said she wanted to build a political platform with ordinary citizens rather than join an established party.

Mittal, a 2013-batch Uttar Pradesh-cadre officer, announced her resignation on 30 August. It was accepted on 14 September, according to reports.

An alumna of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, Mittal worked in London as a derivatives trader before returning to India to prepare for the civil services examination. She secured the 68th rank in the 2013 examination and joined the IAS.

During her administrative career, she served as district magistrate of Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Deoria, besides holding other positions in the Uttar Pradesh government.

Her tenure in Mirzapur brought her considerable public attention after the administration facilitated piped drinking water connections in Lahuriyadah, a remote village where residents had long depended on alternative sources for water.

Mittal has since cited her administrative experiences to explain her decision to enter politics. In her September announcement, she highlighted the gap between government approvals and implementation, pointing to a school that remained unbuilt despite receiving approval and a land-allotment case in which the beneficiary had not obtained possession.

She also raised concerns about examination paper leaks, inadequate infrastructure and employment prospects for young people, including the possible impact of artificial intelligence on jobs.

Mittal had argued that citizens should not have to rely on recommendations or personal connections to get their grievances addressed. She urged people from different walks of life to join her initiative and help shape its priorities.

The launch of Jan Neeti Bharat marks her move from an independent, citizen-led political initiative to a formal party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due in 2027.

Further details about the party's organisational structure, its proposed candidates and its wider electoral plans were not immediately available.

With PTI inputs