Meet IFS Abhishek Bakolia, husband of Apala Mishra, who left medicine for UPSC, got AIR 9 but didn't become IAS due to..

Apala Mishra, one of the most prominent officers in the Indian Foreign Service, has chosen a life partner. She has captured the heart of Abhishek Bakolia, who is also an IFS officer. In a social media post, Apala, who belongs to the 2021 batch of IFS officers, shared the news of her new beginning with Abhishek Bakolia, a member of the 2022 batch. She has even updated her Instagram profile to reflect this significant change, featuring a new photo alongside Abhishek.

On Instagram, Apala shared four pictures with Abhishek, captioning them "Wedding vows." However, it remains unclear whether they have officially tied the knot. Many have congratulated her on the post, which has garnered over 121,715 likes within just seven days. Notable figures such as IPS officer Navjot Simi and IAS officer Riya Dabi, along with her husband IPS Manish Kumar, have also liked the post.

Born in 1997 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Apala comes from a family of achievers. With a father and brother both serving in the Indian Army and a mother who is a professor at Delhi University, she was raised in an environment that emphasized discipline and dedication. After completing her schooling in Dehradun and Rohini, Delhi, she earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from the Army College, setting her on a promising path in medicine.

However, her passion for public service led her to leave her medical career to prepare for the UPSC exams. Despite facing setbacks in her first two attempts—where she did not clear the prelims—her determination paid off. In her third attempt, she not only passed but achieved an impressive All India Rank (AIR) of 9, becoming one of the top scorers in the country.

Her interview performance was exceptional as well; she scored 215 out of 275 marks—the highest in five years. Despite these remarkable achievements, Apala chose to pursue a career in diplomacy instead of joining the IAS, joining the 2020 batch of the Indian Foreign Service.

Abhishek Bakolia hails from Kotakpura in Punjab's Faridkot district and holds a degree in Computer Science from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh. He interned at JP Morgan before deciding to become an IFS officer. He began preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination in March 2020 and successfully cracked it on his first attempt in 2021 by developing strategies based on watching topper interviews.