Bhubaneswar, Jan. 8: BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik seems keen to nip the chances of a possible rival emerging in future.

Dropping hints that the BJD might soon turn into a monolith under his all-encompassing leadership, Naveen has refused to have a working president’s post in the party. “There will be no working president’s post in the party,” he said ahead of the BJD state executive and state council meetings tomorrow where the party constitution is likely to be amended to enhance the president’s tenure.

Naveen’s statement comes in the wake of two important party leaders having underscored the importance of his absolute leadership for the party. While agriculture minister and BJD vice-president Damodar Rout had categorically stated that a regional outfit should have only one absolute leader, Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda raised the slogan of “one leader, one party” at the BJD foundation day function here recently.

The party had a working president only in 2000. The post was created to accommodate senior leader Nalinikant Mohanty in the party hierarchy. The post has been vacant ever since Mohanty left the party in 2001.

The second most important post of secretary general in the BJD has also been lying vacant after Rout, who had held it for a long time, was not renominated in the 2009 organisational elections.

Naveen removed the BJD political affairs committee chairman Bijay Mohapatra in 2000 denying him the party ticket. While Mohapatra was forced to quit the party, the committee was also abolished forthwith.

Ever since the party has seen a few rebellions, but Naveen has managed to put them down with an iron hand.

Though few perceive a threat to Naveen’s authority in the party, the recent spat between Rout and BJD ideologue Pyari Mohan Mohapatra triggered speculation about the RS member emerging as a new power centre within the party. Rout’s statement that a regional party could not have a parallel power centre stoked speculation in this regard.

Sources said that draft proposals to be discussed by the state council and state executive committee would include amendment of the party constitution to raise the president’s term from three to five years and increase the number of state executive members which, at present, was 81.

According to sources, there might also be a discussion on the possibility of abolishing the post of secretary general in the party. The move to expand the state executive aims to give adequate representation to the fair sex, weaker sections and youths as they constitute a sizeable section of the party’s votebank.

A three-member committee headed by former parliamentary affairs minister Padmanav Behera has framed the draft proposals. Naveen confirmed the possibility of organisational changes, but described it as a “routine affair”.