After months of rumblings, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will face a leadership challenge this week, just four months out from a state election.

Reports emerged on Sunday that Labor factional leaders met to assess whether Allan retained majority support in the party room. According to some participants, the answer was no.

This morning, senior party figures met with Allan to convey that message and ask her to stand aside. They urged Deputy Premier Ben Carroll to challenge her.

Previously reluctant to put himself forward, Carroll posted on X that he would nominate as a candidate if a spill motion succeeds in a party room meeting — perhaps as soon as Tuesday morning.

Allan has so far declined to resign, declaring her intention to contest any leadership ballot. Should she and Carroll contest the leadership, it could drag out for several weeks.

As a result, the party and the state now enter a period of uncertainty.

Labor is facing an uphill battle in November’s state election, and Allan appears to be a drag on the party’s popularity, as well as contending with the fact the government is nearly 12 years old.

When Daniel Andrews resigned in 2023, Allan won unopposed. Although Carroll initially put his hand up for the leadership, he withdrew his nomination and accepted the deputy premiership. Reporting at the time described his retreat as “forced”,........

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