LUCKNOW, Sept. 30 -- The IAS chapter may be over for Divya Mittal, but her public-life journey is taking a political turn. With 2027 on the horizon, the former bureaucrat has stepped into politics, as anticipated, but without joining a political party. However, she has not ruled out an electoral debut in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Talking to HT, Mittal said she was open to contesting an election. "If I decide to contest the 2027 assembly election, I will inform people and seek their suggestions as well."

On what inspired her to enter politics, Mittal said there was no particular inspiration but "agony" over what she had witnessed during her stint as an IAS officer.

"During my stint as an IAS officer, I saw that the voice of peop...