Femina Miss India 2024 has been announced as Nikita Porwal from Madhya Pradesh, while the first runner-up went to Rekha Pandayy of the Union Territories. The 18-year-old, who started her career as a TV anchor and has worked as an actor ever since, was crowned by last year’s winner, Nandini Gupta, in a ceremonial event held in Mumbai. Interestingly, actress Neha Dhupia served Porwal as Miss India.
The grand finale was held on Wednesday night. The ramp witnessed a stunning performance as ex-Miss India Sangeeta Bijlani came down. There were celebrities galore at the event, including Neha Dhupia and dancer Raghav Juyal, while Anusha Dandekar was part of the jury panel.
This year’s edition of the pageant started with a nationwide talent hunt, with auditions held across the nation. After a few rounds of auditions and some rigorous grooming in the pageant boot camp, 30 state finalists were selected to go into the grand finale round. The winner of this round was Nikita Porwal, who will represent India at the Miss World Pageant.
While the Miss India pageant completes 60 years this year, it can boast of a proud legacy in the case of five previous Miss World winners: Aishwarya Rai, 1994; Diana Hayden, 1997; Yukta Mookhey, 1999; Priyanka Chopra, 2000; Manushi Chhillar, 2017. To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Miss India, the Miss India Organization has unveiled a musical anthem titled “Rise of Queen,” which is now out on streaming platforms worldwide.
