Former Wentworth MP Dave Sharma enters race to replace outgoing Senator Marise Payne

Former Liberal MP Dave Sharma is making a bid to return to federal politics, this time by swapping the lower for the upper house and replacing Marise Payne.

It is understood Dave Sharma has nominated to fill Senator Marise Payne’s position. Picture: Damian Shaw

Former Liberal MP Dave Sharma is making a bid to return to federal politics, this time by swapping the lower for the upper house and replacing outgoing senator Marise Payne.

On Wednesday, just before the deadline at 5pm, Mr Sharma lodged a nomination for Senator Payne’s position in what Liberal insiders said would be of “concern” to presumed frontrunner Andrew Constance.

Mr Sharma lost his Sydney eastern suburbs seat of Wentworth in the “teal wave” at the 2022 federal election, ceding Malcolm Turnbull’s former electorate to Allegra Spender.

Senator Marise Payne announced her retirement in September. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The contest to replace Senator Payne had at one stage been thought of as a two-horse race between No campaigner Warren Mundine and Mr Constance, a former NSW transport minister.

The vote, party documents show, is be held at Sydney’s Fullerton Hotel on November 26, at the party’s state convention that weekend titled “A New Hope”.

Senior Liberal insiders – on condition of anonymity – said Mr Sharma’s entrance into the race changed that, although they also questioned his late entry.

“He (Mr Sharma) is certainly the biggest problem for Andrew (Constance), but he’s also the biggest danger and problem to himself,” one NSW powerbroker said.

Andrew Constance. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Another Liberal insider said “Andrew would be concerned” but questioned who – if anyone – was backing Mr Sharma from the high-profile moderate wing.

“It (the Sharma nomination) is going to cause more tension between Sydney and regional Liberals,” they said.

“Jim Molan was often seen as a Liberal of the regions, and his spot in May went to Maria (Kovacic), a Sydney-based Liberal.

“If another Senate spot goes to Sydney, there’ll be a lot of frustrated members in the regions, particularly down south.”

Another senior Liberal source said some hundreds of the about 700 state council delegates who would vote in the preselection had failed to vote previously, owing to disenfranchisement, and would “turn up to vote with baseball bats”.

Dave Sharma. Picture: Renee Nowytarger.

“Dave lost his seat by trying to out-teal a teal,” they said. “He owes it to the party to run again in Wentworth. I don’t think many will take his nomination with much credibility.”

The senior source said there had been an “anyone but Constance” mindset in the left of the party. “You’ve got one failed state MP in Constance and a failed federal MP in Sharma,” they said.

With nominations having closed, successful nominees were expected to start circulating mat­erial across the next few weeks.

It is understood nominees include former NSW MP Lou Amatou, former leader of the ACT opposition Zed Seselja, barrister Ishita Sethi, lawyer Pallavi Sinha, James Brown and Monica Tudehope, an adviser to former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet.