Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons loses preselection to Tina Ayyad
Just months after being talked out of quitting state politics to run for federal parliament, Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons has been dumped in a preselection vote.
NSW
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A sitting Liberal MP has been sensationally dumped by the party rank and file and will be ousted from the lower house after losing a preselection challenge.
Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons was thrashed on Thursday night by Tina Ayyad, who won the preselection 24 votes to 12.
Ms Ayyad, the wife of Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun, will now contest the marginal seat for the Liberals at the election.
Party leaders are now scrambling to find a way to parachute Ms Gibbons onto the upper house ticket, senior government sources said.
Ms Gibbons’ preselection loss comes as the Liberal Party is desperately moving to get candidates confirmed and campaigning before Christmas.
Senior Liberals had courted Mr Mannoun to run for a state seat on the condition his wife pulled out of the Holsworthy race.
Earlier this year Ms Gibbons expressed a desire to run as the Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Hughes, before Premier Dominic Perrottet intervened to keep her in state parliament.
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