CityLightBuzz: Jaipur, August 24, 2026: Kerala’s 19-year-old Kaziah Liz Mejo has been crowned Miss Universe India 2026 at the grand finale held at Zee Studios in Jaipur on August 23. She emerged victorious after competing against 52 finalists from across India.Kaziah, a law student and model from Mavelikkara, Kerala, was raised in Abu Dhabi and is currently pursuing her law studies. She has already made a mark in the pageant world, having won Miss Teen Diva 2024 and finished as First Runner-Up at Miss Teen International 2025. She also won the Miss Universe Kerala 2026 title earlier this year.
Her victory makes Kaziah the first Keralite to win the Miss Universe India title. She will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe competition, scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico in November 2026.Tamil Nadu’s Vaishnavi Gannesh was named the First Runner-Up, while Gujarat’s Anushri Satavlekar secured the Second Runner-Up position. The judging panel included former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen, along with former Miss Universe India winners Urvashi Rautela and Celina Jaitley.Kaziah is also trained in classical dance, with 12 years of training, and has interests in singing, acting, drums and violin. She made her acting debut in the Malayalam film Shylock. Her national title marks a major milestone in her pageant journey, and she will now take the Indian tricolour to the international Miss Universe stage later this year.
