Kerala has its first Miss Universe India. Nineteen-year-old Kaziah Liz Mejo was crowned Miss Universe India 2026 on Sunday night, emerging from a field of 52 finalists at the pageant’s grand finale in Jaipur. Outgoing titleholder Manika Vishwakarma placed the crown on her successor’s head at Zee Studios, bringing the competition to a close after a final round in which contestants delivered 40-second closing statements before the judges.
Mejo, a law student and model from Mavelikkara, edged out a final five that also included representatives from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand. Vaishnavi Gannesh of Tamil Nadu was named first runner-up and also won the Miss International India 2026 title, while Anushri Satavlekar of Gujarat finished second runner-up. The jury was led by Sushmita Sen, India’s first Miss Universe winner, and also included former titleholders Celina Jaitly, Urvashi Rautela and Rhea Singha, along with film producer Pragya Kapoor and dermatologist Dr Stuti Khare Shukla.
Who Is Kaziah Liz Mejo?
Born in 2007, Kaziah Liz Mejo grew up in Abu Dhabi, where she studied at Emirates National School, St Joseph’s School and Abu Dhabi Indian School. She began classical dance training in 2012 and also sings and plays the drums and violin. Mejo has also appeared in the Malayalam film Shylock. Her pageant journey has been building over the past few years. Mejo won Miss Teen Diva at 17 in 2024, which took her to Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished as first runner-up. Earlier this year, she won the Miss Universe Kerala 2026 crown, becoming the state pageant’s youngest-ever titleholder before going on to claim the national crown.
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcaXz28GL6S/?img_index=1
What’s Next
Kaziah Liz Mejo will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico this November. She will spend the coming months preparing for the international competition, where she will compete against national titleholders from around the world. India has won the Miss Universe crown three times — with Sushmita Sen in 1994, Lara Dutta in 2000 and Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021. For Mejo, the next challenge is now global.
