Although Sonia Gandhi's leadership is not under questioning openly, subtle hints in party circles indicate the impression that she has not been able to live up to their expectations.

A senior party leader and former Union minister said on promise of anonymity that former Congress president Sitaram Kesri was under fire by party colleagues for getting 142 Lok Sabha seats during the last election. He was literally hounded out of office soon after. But now that Sonia Gandhi's tally was much less at hardly 112 Lok Sabha seats, there should be change at the top.

But such assertions are too muted to be taken cognisance of in the party echelons. This is because Sonia Gandhi has control over the vocal and more assertive section of the leadership.

Even so, there are voices like that of newly elected MP Kamal Nath who said the powerful Congress Working Committee (CWC) should be revamped and leaders who did not win the Lok Sabha poll should be asked to quit. By his logic, RK Dhawan, Manmohan Singh and Meira Kumar should no longer remain in the CWC as both lost the election.

Judging by reactions on Kamal Nath's statement, there seems to be certain degree of unanimity over it. But it remains to be seen what view Sonia Gandhi takes in the matter.

For one thing, by revamping the CWC on the basis of election results, Sonia Gandhi would be able to deflect a direct attack on her at the lack lustre performance. But any action against persons like Manmohan Singh or Meira Kumar could be counter-productive as well. Their removal could be interpreted as attack on a minority community (Sikhs) and the SC to which both Singh and Kumar belong, respectively. Removing only Dhawan , in that case, would be devoid of any logic.

The Congress president is also under continuous pressure to get rid of leaders like Arjun Singh and Pranab Mukherjee who no longer enjoy a mass base while at the same time advising her on various key issues.

Sonia Gandhi, according to indications available at this stage, would tread the ground cautiously. She has met senior party colleagues and expressed her dissatisfaction over the party's performance. Apart from generally saying that the party needed to be strengthened, she has not spoken on specifics.She has decided to meet the newly elected MPs either on Sunday or Monday. After taking them into confidence, she may initiate any action to refurbish the party, sources close to her said.

Despite subdued criticism in the inner circles of the party, Sonia Gandhi is all set to be elected as leader of the Congress Parliamentary party (CPP). CWC member and former union minister Rajesh Pilot's statement alluding to inner party democracy in the party had erroneously sent feelers in a section of the party that he was preparing to challenge Sonia Gandhi in the CPP election. Pilot himself clarified subsequently saying that he would not be contesting the CPP election.