Miss Universe contestant Tanzia Jaman Mithila returns from Thailand

Mithila competed in the 74th Miss Universe pageant. She went to Thailand in the last week of October and participated in the camp round starting 2 November. Though she did not win the crown, she was satisfied with placing in the top 30. In closed-door voting, she scored 9.640, higher than the winner Miss Mexico Fatima’s 8.9755.

Mithila said, “My primary goal was to represent Bangladesh properly on the global stage. I carried the national flag and was overwhelmed by everyone’s support and trust.”

At the airport, she added, “I tried to make Bangladesh’s presence felt as much as possible. I realized more work is needed to make the path easier for future contestants.”

This year, 121 contestants participated in Miss Universe. Mithila noted, “Voting was not just for me, but for Bangladesh. I represented my country, not just myself.” She received 2,101,572 votes in the People’s Choice, which was a major encouragement.

Mithila faced some criticism for participating in the swimsuit segment but said, “Points are given in four areas—closed-door interview, evening gown, national costume, and swimsuit. Without doing well in these, top 30 placement would not have been possible. I did not demean my country in any way.”

The winner was Fatima Bash from Mexico, crowned by last year’s winner Victoria Kejser Thielvig of Denmark. Three days before the final result announcement, two judges resigned, citing transparency issues in the selection process, sparking controversy.