TORONTO - Ontario Liberals have been put on the defensive of late, and their dragging poll numbers, resurfacing scandals and feverish attacks on Tory election promises show the party is getting jittery, some observers say.

"They are nervous," said Brian Evans, a politics professor at Ryerson University. "The internal polling for government and public polling consistently show a five to 10 percentage point gap in favour of the Conservatives."

That's not an insurmountable gap, Evans said, but combined with the significant inroads the federal Conservatives made in the last election and the election of a right-leaning mayor in Toronto, it could be worrisome for the party.

"That all shows that people are maybe a little but more insecure, a little bit more attracted to parties that are proposing tax cuts," Evans said Friday.

The Progressive Conservatives are playing right into that base, with Leader Tim Hudak promising to take the HST off home heating and hydro bills, scrap expensive green energy initiatives, and root out government waste.

Their election platform, dubbed "Changebook," will be released Sunday at the party's annual convention and Hudak said it comes "directly from conversations with everyday Ontario families."

The Liberals have been eager to respond to Hudak's promises by labelling him a reckless, irresponsible rookie, at times offering up several senior ministers or making the premier available more than once a day to rebuff the Tory leader.

All those negative reactions with no alternate plan betray their uneasiness, according to Queen's University Prof. Kathy Brock.

"We've seen loss of jobs and at the same time we've seen the government introducing new taxes after they had said that they would not be introducing new taxes," said Brock.

"When the government responds by just dismissing the proposals as not practical, then they look like they're just being negative as opposed to understanding what people are going through and trying to address it."

It's usually the Opposition that looks negative while the government comes up with ideas, she added, but "we're seeing a reversal of the normal practice."

Some of the Liberals' job-creation plans have also been loftier and called for longer incubation periods, noted Evans, adding the party may not have received enough credit for its efforts to foster a knowledge-based economy that would set up the province for future success.

The Tories, meanwhile, have been going for individual issues like putting prisoners to work and offering tax breaks on home heating and electricity bills -- initiatives that "don't add up to much but each is one of those political issues that can resonate broadly."

The Liberals have also had to weather a series of recent scandals. There were pay hikes to Ontario Provincial Police and the Public Service Employees Union despite a promised wage freeze, and merit pay for bureaucrats at controversial eHealth.

"If any more questions like this arise they're going to be put on the defensive," said Brock.

Another wild card the Liberals are watching is the NDP, which has emerged as more serious cause for concern following the "orange crush" that swept through the country in May and led to a record number of New Democrats elected to federal Parliament.

The party's rising popularity in recent polls could translate to a loss of Liberal seats, especially given the perceived effectiveness of Leader Andrea Horwath, observers say.

"Horwath has really come out with some hard-hitting criticism, some comments that have really been good insights into what the Liberals are doing and some of the problems it's caused for the average person," said Brock.

But pundits agree it's too early to say how current moods will translate when voters go to the polls Oct. 6.

"We'll see very different approaches," said Evans. "Which one will win we'll see on election night."