Kaziah Liz Mejo Claims Miss Universe India 2026 Crown

Nineteen-year-old law student Kaziah Liz Mejo from Mavelikkara has made history by becoming the first person from Kerala to win the Miss Universe India 2026 title. She secured the crown after competing against 53 other participants during the grand finale held in Jaipur on Sunday. Vaishnavi Gannesh, representing Tamil Nadu, claimed the position of first runner-up. Meanwhile, Gujarat's Anushri Satavlekar earned the title of Miss International India 2026, finishing as the second runner-up. With this significant victory, Mejo will now step onto the global stage. She is set to represent the country at the 75th Miss Universe competition, which will take place in Puerto Rico this November.

Rising Star from Kerala to Abu Dhabi

Born in 2007, Mejo spent her formative years in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She completed her education at Emirates National School, St Joseph’s School, and Abu Dhabi Indian School. Before this major win, she had already made a mark in the pageant world. She secured the first runner-up spot at the Miss Teen International 2025 competition.

Beyond her academic and modeling pursuits, Mejo is a trained classical dancer with 12 years of experience. Her talents extend to music as well; she sings and plays both the violin and drums. She even started an acting career, appearing in the Malayalam movie Shylock. A panel of celebrated beauty queens judged the 2026 event. Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen headed the jury. She was joined by Miss Universe India 2015 Urvashi Rautela and Miss Universe India 2001 Celina Jaitley. In a passing of the torch, last year's winner, Manika Vishwakarma, crowned the new victors. Vishwakarma had previously represented the nation at the international Miss Universe event, bringing continuity to this year's celebration of Indian beauty and talent on the global stage.