White lilies on sale in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Florists in the city stocked white lilies, chief minister Naveen Patnaik'sfavourite, ahead of his 69th birthday on Friday. With party leaders, workers and fans placing bulk orders, an estimated Rs 7 lakh worth of lilies will be purchased on Friday, said florist Surjya Kumar Sahoo.

Naveen will be presented with a four-and-a-half feet long conch-shaped garland, the BJD's election symbol

He will also meet BJD's students' wing candidates who emerged victorious in Wednesday's union polls. However, he is keen to keep his birthday a low-key affair in view of the drought situation in the state and reported incidents of farmer suicides.

Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee