Mumbai (Commonwealth Union)_ At just 19, Kaziah Liz Mejo has reached the biggest milestone of her young pageant career. The Kerala-born model and law student was crowned Miss Universe India 2026 at a grand finale held at Zee Studios in Jaipur on Sunday, marking a historic achievement for the state. Mejo emerged as the winner from a field of 53 contestants from across India. Miss Universe India 2025 Manika Vishwakarma placed the crown on her head at the end of the competition. The victory is the result of more than three years of hard work for Mejo. Speaking after her win, she described the moment as one she had worked towards for years. She also expressed pride in being able to take Kerala to an international platform.
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Mejo’s journey has already included several pageant successes. At 17, Mejo won the Miss Teen Diva 2024 title. She went on to represent India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished as the first runner-up. Earlier this year, she also won the Miss Universe Kerala 2026 title, becoming the youngest state titleholder. For Mejo, the biggest challenge was not simply competing against other contestants but overcoming her own doubts. She said stepping onto such a major stage at 19 required courage and the confidence to believe in her own abilities.
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Mejo’s achievements extend beyond beauty pageants. Mejo is a professionally trained classical dancer with 12 years of experience. She also sings and plays the drums and violin. She has explored acting as well, making her Mollywood debut in the film Shylock. She is also a public speaker. Born in 2007, Mejo spent much of her childhood in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. She studied at Emirates National School, St Joseph’s School and Abu Dhabi Indian School before pursuing her law studies.
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Mejo’s latest victory makes her the first Keralite to win the Miss Universe India title. She will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe competition, scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico in November. The Miss Universe India 2026 finale featured an impressive panel of judges, including India’s first Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen, former Miss Universe India winners Urvashi Rautela and Celina Jaitly, Miss Universe India 2024 Rhea Singha, and environmentalist and film producer Pragya Kapoor.
Vaishnavi Gannesh was named the first runner-up and Miss International India 2026, while Anushri Satavlekar finished second runner-up. Tejaswini Shrivastava and Anubha Vashist Chaudhary were named the third and fourth runners-up, respectively. With the national crown now secured, Mejo has set her sights on an even bigger goal: bringing the Miss Universe crown home to India. Her journey from Kerala to the national stage has only just entered its most important chapter.
