Opponents of the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, have urged at least one potential alternative, Mr Jim Mitchell, to support yet another challenge to his position. This follows an Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll which showed a further drop in his and his party's support.
Those for and against Mr Bruton's continued leadership now believe he will either be asked to quit by senior figures or face a full-scale heave against him. They believe this will succeed only if the move is supported by one of the two men seen as alternatives, Mr Michael Noonan and Mr Mitchell.
Sources close to Mr Bruton insist that he will successfully resist any such move.
The renewed instability within Fine Gael comes just two months after the failure of a hastily organised move against Mr Bruton, led by Mr Austin Deasy TD. It also follows the poll showing Fine Gael's support falling a further four points to 20 per cent, with its core vote in Dublin down to 11 per cent.
Mr Bruton's personal satisfaction rating fell to 37 per cent - the lowest since November 1994 - and to just 29 per cent in Dublin. Supporters of change said last night that several of them had contacted Mr Jim Mitchell, seen as one of the main contenders should a vacancy arise, and urged him to come out publicly in favour of change.
Neither Mr Mitchell nor Mr Michael Noonan - the other leading contender - was available for comment yesterday. However, some of Mr Bruton's supporters privately expressed doubts as to whether either would give the necessary support to a "heave".
Mr Bruton publicly defended his position yesterday, as did several other deputies, including Mr Ivan Yates and Mr Bernard Allen. Just two deputies, Mr Alan Shatter and Mr Austin Deasy, have publicly suggested Mr Bruton should go in the wake of the opinion poll.
Meanwhile, there are reports among front bench members that public support for alternative leadership candidates has been tested through a public opinion poll recently, commissioned by a small group of party supporters opposed to Mr Bruton.
This reported polling was additional to the opinion poll taken last June and reported in The Irish Times in November, showing Mr Michael Noonan was the preferred public choice should Mr Bruton be toppled.
Mr Mitchell was not offered as a choice to respondents in the June poll, whereas both he and Mr Noonan are listed as possible alternatives in the more recent one, according to the reports.
Such a poll would be used as ammunition in any leadership campaign.
Mr Bruton yesterday sought to defend his position. He conceded that he was disappointed by the poll, but suggested the outcome was due to a temporary "bounce" the Government obtained from the Budget, "which may not be very sensible in the long run".
He maintained that the party's own polls in individual constituencies showed Fine Gael retaining its seats in Dublin and gaining seats outside the capital.
In addition, he maintained that once a general election campaign began "the issue of an alternative Taoiseach . . . would be an issue and obviously Fine Gael would have the advantage at that stage of having someone who had been a good Taoiseach as an alternative candidate for Taoiseach".
The party's environment spokesman and leading Bruton supporter, Mr Ivan Yates, called yesterday for "unity of purpose" within the party.