Kaziah Liz Mejo From Kerala Crowned Miss Universe India 2026; All About Her
Nineteen-year-old law student Kaziah Liz Mejo from Kerala won Miss Universe India 2026 in Jaipur, defeating 52 finalists. She will represent India in Puerto Rico this November, with Vaishnavi Gannesh and Anushri Satavlekar as runners-up. Mejo is a law student and model hailing from Mavelikkara. Scroll below to know more.
Kaziah Liz Mejo from Kerala has been crowned Miss Universe India 2026, emerging as the winner among 52 finalists at the grand finale held in Jaipur on Sunday, August 23. With this victory, she earns the right to represent India at the upcoming 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico this November.
Who Is Kaziah Liz Mejo?
Nineteen-year-old Kaziah Liz Mejo is a law student and model hailing from Mavelikkara, Kerala. Her background in advocacy and competitive pageantry includes representing India at Miss Teen International in 2025, where she finished as the first runner-up. Following her latest national win, she will undergo intensive grooming and preparation to compete on the global stage against international delegates. According to her Instagram bio, Mejo is a model, actor and dancer with over 40,000 followers on the photo and video-sharing platform.
Kaziah Liz Mejo Crowned Miss Universe India 2026
Instagram bio of Miss Universe India
Kaziah Liz Mejo During the National Costume Round
Competition and Runner-Ups
The grand finale at Zee Studios in Jaipur concluded months of rigorous selection processes, including regional state pageants, final auditions, wildcard entries, and an NRI category that initially evaluated thousands of aspirants. During the finale, Vaishnavi Gannesh from Tamil Nadu was named the first runner-up and secured the title of Miss International India 2026. Anushri Satavlekar from Gujarat finished as the second runner-up.
High-Profile Jury Panel
The 2026 competition featured a distinguished judging panel led by Sushmita Sen, India's first Miss Universe winner in 1994. The jury also included former titleholders Celina Jaitly (Miss Universe India 2001) and Urvashi Rautela (Miss Universe India 2015), along with reigning Miss Universe India 2024 Rhea Singha, film producer Pragya Kapoor, entrepreneur Visha Ladhia, Miss Charm 2025 Anna Blanco, and dermatologist Dr Stuti Khare Shukla.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2026 09:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).