Don't look now, but it looks like NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is facing what can only be described as a "passive-aggressive coup d'etat."

In other words, rather than openly trying to depose Singh, it seems certain elements within the NDP camp are doing everything they can to make his leadership untenable.

We certainly see this, for instance, in the run up to the soon-to-be-held Burnaby by-election where Singh is running for a seat in the House of Commons.

Ordinarily, you'd expect all voices from the NDP to be cheering Singh on, while optimistically proclaiming that his certain victory in the Burnaby by-election will be the first step in what's sure to be a socialist revolution that will sweep Canada, culminating in a massive electoral victory in October.

That's the kind of propaganda stuff political parties usually do, right?

Yet, some New Democrats aren't singing from that hymn book; indeed, they're clouding the Burnaby by-election narrative with gloomy, pessimistic and defeatist talk.

A media report emerged recently, for instance, in which anonymous NDP MPs revealed that several senior members of the federal NDP caucus warned Singh back in June that he won't be able to hang on as party leader if he loses the by-election.

Said one anonymous source to the media: "We told him going in, way back in June, when this was being contemplated … that if you do this, this is all-in.  It's not like you hope to win this thing.  You have to.  Your leadership rides on it."

Meanwhile, in the same report, Loonie Politics contributor Karl Bélanger, former national director of the NDP and former principal secretary to former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair chimed in, "It is self-evident.  If you lose a by-election, if you can't win in the People's Republic of Burnaby, where can you win?"

Now in a way, what Bélanger is saying is just common sense, and I can understand why senior MPs would be laying it on the line to Singh way back in June, since, after all, if he does lose the by-election it would, of course, be a big blow to his leadership.

But what I'm wondering is, why are some New Democrats even talking about, much less bringing national media attention to, what's just a hypothetical possibility?

That's hardly a helpful strategy.

Indeed, one of the most basic rules in communications is never answer a hypothetical question.

Certainly all this dire speculation about Singh possibly losing, isn't exactly adding any lustre to the NDP leader's brand.

As a matter of fact, I'd argue Singh is now in a position where he basically has to win the by-election by nothing less than a massive landslide.

If he wins by a just few percentage points, the doubters in the NDP could still say, "How can we expect Singh to lead us to national victory, when he can barely eke out a win in the People's Republic of Burnaby?"

And even if Singh does win a landslide, which I'd say is the most likely outcome, one is still left with the unmistakable impression that many in his own party lack confidence in his leadership.

For example, former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair recently appeared on television predicting many NDP supporters might switch to the Green Party in the next election, given how, as Mulcair put it, Singh has "decided he's going to support a liquefied natural gas pipeline."

Who knew liquefied gas would be such a key issue?

OK, so why is this happening?

Well, I don't want to go too far down the NDP rabbit hole, but it seems to me two possibilities exist.

Possibility one, is that some New Democrats are sore losers and thus are undermining Singh simply out of spite.  (Yes, I'm looking at you Thomas Mulcair.)

Possibility two, is that the members of the NDP brass have access to internal polls indicating their party is heading for an electoral disaster under Singh and thus are hoping to push him out and put someone else in his place ASAP.

The recent example of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives switching Patrick Brown with Doug Ford a mere few months before a provincial election might be providing them with a template.

Mind you, this is all guesswork on my part.

All I know for certain is one thing: Singh better start watching his back.

Photo Credit: National Post