Ieuan Wyn Jones resigned after Plaid's poor election showing

The Plaid leader resigned last week following his party's poor performance the in Welsh assembly election.

The party's assembly group will meet on Tuesday for the first time since Mr Jones announced he was standing down.

The meeting is likely to be a stormy one, particularly as some members will be jockeying for position in the leadership race.

Nominations

Campaigning is expected go on through the summer with nominations closing on 4 July.

Several prominent Plaid figures have indicated that they may stand in the leadership election.

Helen Mary Jones has denied plotting to oust the leader

Elfyn Llwyd, who leads Plaid's four MPs at Westminster, has not ruled out standing, while Pauline Jarman, the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, has also said that she may fight for the party's top job.

Other possible candidates include AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas and MEP Jill Evans.

But several leading figures have ruled themselves out.

They include former leader Dafydd Wigley, Ceredigion MP Simon Thomas and AMs Janet Ryder and Dai Lloyd.

Denial

A possible candidate is Mid and West Wales AM Helen Mary Jones who has issued a denial that she was part of an organised plot to oust Mr Jones.

She was one of four people Plaid's director of elections, Elwyn Vaughan, said should be disciplined for plotting against Mr Jones.

But Ms Jones told BBC Wales that there had been no organised plot to force the party leader out.

She said: "There was no plot, there was no conspiracy, there was a series of misunderstandings."

But Ms Jones said that the party needed change following its poor performance in the assembly election and did not rule out standing for the leadership.

Council leader Pauline Jarman says she has been asked to stand

She added: "Personally I felt that we did need a change of leadership, if not now then in a year's time.

"I'm still thinking about it (standing for the leadership).

"I'm not ruling myself out, but I'm not ruling myself in."

At a meeting of Plaid's national executive in Aberystwyth on Saturday, Mr Vaughan had called for four AMs to be disciplined over Mr Jones' resignation.

He added: "The party is the ownership of its members, not a bunch of prima donnas and vipers in Cardiff Bay."

Mr Jones stood down after Plaid lost five of its 17 seats in the previous week's assembly election.