Abu Dhabi-born Malayali Kaziah Liz Mejo crowned Miss Universe India 2026
Kerala’s Kaziah Liz Mejo has been crowned Miss Universe India 2026, earning the right to represent the country on the global stage at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico this November.
The 19-year-old law student and model bagged the national title at the grand finale in Jaipur, emerging as the winner from a field of 52 contestants. She was crowned by outgoing titleholder Manika Vishwakarma.
The title was decided after a multi-city competition that brought together finalists selected through state pageants, final auditions and NRI auditions. In the weeks leading up to the Jaipur finale, the contestants underwent a series of grooming and evaluation rounds before facing a jury led by former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. The panel also included former Miss Universe India winners Urvashi Rautela, Rhea Singha and Celina Jaitly.
Tamil Nadu’s Vaishnavi Gannesh was named first runner-up and was also awarded the Miss International India 2026 title, while Gujarat’s Anushri Satavlekar finished second runner-up.
From Kerala to the national crownKaziah, who hails from Mavelikkara in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, came into the competition after winning the Miss Universe Kerala 2026 title earlier this year. Her victory makes her one of the country’s youngest national pageant winners this year.