Bhubaneswar: With elections round the corner, ticket-seekers have been making a beeline for Naveen Niwas, the residence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, with legions of supporters.From early in the morning till late in the evening, one can now see hundreds of BJD workers thronging what is the unofficial seat of power. In sync with the chief minister’s announcement that he would give one-third of BJD’s Lok Sabha tickets to women, the number of women visitors at Naveen Niwas is quite high.Ticket aspirants say they are trying to justify why they should be nominated. Sasmita Nayak, an aspirant for the Hindol assembly segment, who visited the chief minister’s residence on Tuesday, said Hindol had been sending women legislators for a while now.“Anjali Behera (2000-14) and Seema Nayak (2014-19) have represented the seat. It is a matter of pride for me to belong to the constituency. We believe Hindol needs the right leadership and I am an aspirant for a party ticket. I believe the BJD president will consider my name given my connection with voters in the area,” she said, even as her supporters broke out in applause.Satyabhama Singh, an aspirant for the Telkoi assembly constituency, said, “I want to thank Naveen Patnaik for his decision to nominate 33 per cent women from Odisha to the Parliament. This is a historic move and will go a long way in empowering women. We hope he will nominate more women candidates for the assembly polls as well. I have been elected to the panchayati raj institutions for the past 25 years. I am seeking a ticket for the Telkoi segment.”A security personnel requesting anonymity said thousands of people were visiting the chief minister’s residence every morning to submit their biodata. “We are having a tough time. This will continue this election season,” he said.MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha, Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh and Rita Tarai, MLA Pramilla Mallick, and their supporters were among those who visited Naveen Niwas on Monday.Though the footfall at the BJP and Congress offices, too, is rising, it is no match to the carnival outside Naveen’s home as the tickets of the two national parties are decided in Delhi. Unlike other parties, which operate from their offices, Naveen works out of his house. In sharp contrast thus, the BJD office, half a kilometre away from his residence, has been quiet this poll season.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.