Kaziah Liz Mejo Is Miss Universe India 2026: Meet the 19-Year-Old From Kerala
A jury led by Sushmita Sen — with Urvashi Rautela, Celina Jaitly and Rhea Singha alongside — picked the law student from Mavelikkara over 51 other contestants. Puerto Rico is next.
JAIPUR: Kerala's Kaziah Liz Mejo is the new Miss Universe India. The 19-year-old law student from Mavelikkara was crowned by outgoing titleholder Manika Vishwakarma at Zee Studios in Jaipur on Sunday night, at the end of the third edition of the national pageant under the Glamanand Group. She now heads to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November to represent India at the 75th Miss Universe.
The finale was as much about the panel as the podium. Sushmita Sen — India's first Miss Universe, way back in 1994 — anchored a jury that read like a pageant hall of fame, and it was her successors' turn to decide who joins the club next.
From Abu Dhabi classrooms to a Jaipur crown
Mejo grew up in Abu Dhabi and returned to India for her law studies, according to a profile published by the Free Press Journal. This wasn't her first pageant either — she represented India at Miss Teen International 2025 and finished first runner-up, before winning Miss Universe Kerala and now the national crown. The Free Press Journal report notes she trained in classical dance from the age of five.
Vaishnavi Gannesh of Tamil Nadu was named first runner-up and awarded the Miss International India 2026 title, with Anushri Satavlekar of Gujarat placed second runner-up, per the organisers. Tejaswini Shrivastava of Maharashtra and Anubha Vashist Chaudhary of Uttarakhand rounded out the top five as third and fourth runners-up respectively, according to a report by Pune Pulse.
A jury with serious pageant pedigree
Sen was joined by Urvashi Rautela, who won the national title in 2015 when the crown was branded Miss Diva, and Celina Jaitly, Femina Miss India Universe 2001 who finished fourth runner-up at Miss Universe the same year. Rhea Singha, Miss Universe India 2024, was also on the panel, as was film producer Pragya Kapoor, entrepreneur Visha Ladhia and Anna Blanco, the reigning Miss Charm 2025 — according to a listing published by Free Press Journal.
Rautela, speaking to news agency ANI before the finale, called the evening "emotional," recalling that Sen crowned her a decade ago. "I really hope that I made her proud after my journey," she was quoted as saying.
The finale itself brought together 52 finalists — 31 from states and union territories, 20 wildcard entrants and one non-resident Indian candidate — after weeks of preliminary rounds held across Jaipur, Indore, Bengaluru and New Delhi.
What's next: Puerto Rico, and a 21-year wait
Mejo now begins grooming for the international stage. "This title is not just an achievement, it is a big responsibility," she said in a statement issued through the pageant organisers. National Director Nikhil Anand said the platform's purpose was to spotlight young women from across the country.
The wait for a fourth Indian Miss Universe crown has stretched since Harnaaz Sandhu's 2021 win in Eilat — after a 21-year gap from Lara Dutta's 2000 title. On Sunday night in Jaipur, that wait passed to Mejo.
