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 crown
Kaziah, 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.
However, she is no stranger to the pageant world. Before her Miss Universe India win, Kaziah represented India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she was named first runner-up. She had also won Miss Teen Diva, a title that marked the beginning of her competitive pageant journey.
Now, with the Miss Universe India crown, Kaziah will prepare to represent India at the international competition in Puerto Rico, a major moment for the young contestant as she steps into a far more demanding global arena.
Abu Dhabi roots
While she represents Kerala, Kaziah spent much of her childhood in Abu Dhabi and has previously spoken to Khaleej Times about how the UAE capital shaped her formative years. She studied across several schools in the city, including Emirates National School, St Joseph’s School and Abu Dhabi Indian School, before moving to India for higher education.
In an earlier interview, she opened up about navigating teenage insecurity, body-image concerns and the unrealistic standards fuelled by filters and altered images online.
Kaziah is currently pursuing a law degree in Bengaluru, balancing university life with the demands of modelling and pageantry.
Grounded in the belief that confidence must extend beyond online validation, that approach has now taken her from Abu Dhabi classrooms and a Kerala state crown to the Miss Universe India title and, next, to the global stage in Puerto Rico.
Source: Khaleej Times