The word in local Liberal Party circles is Mr Constance will contest pre-selection for the seat of Gilmore.

The Gilmore Federal Electorate Council (FEC) is keen to get the pre-section process underway, and it is understood Mr Constance is the "preferred" Liberal candidate by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

But Australia Community Media has been told there are "concerns among local branch members about the Prime Minister meddling in conference affairs again".

Read more:

At the last federal election in 2019 Mr Morrison "parachuted" Warren Mundine into Gilmore as the Liberal candidate, a move which upset a number of local branch members.

One Liberal source said "Gilmore is not the personal plaything of the PM and to quote John Howard 'we will decide who runs for our party and the circumstances in which they run'."

Sources locally say the most likely date for the Federal election will be May next year [2022] and the Gilmore FEC wants its pre-selection process "sorted sooner rather than later".

It's understood Saturday, May 21, 2022 is the latest date the Prime Minister can call for an election for the whole house and half of the Senate.

The Liberal Party was left out in the cold at the 2019 election, when Labor's Fiona Phillips took the long-held Liberal seat.

In a disjointed campaign highlighted by factional in-fighting which also featured a disendorsed candidate Grant Schultz, who later stood as an independent, Warren Mundine as a PM parachuted candidate and a campaign by fellow coalition partners the Nationals, for Katrina Hodgkinson backed by two former Gilmore MPs, Joanna Gash and Ann Sudmalis, saw Mrs Phillips claim the seat on two party preferred with 52.61 per cent of the vote over Mr Mundine (47.39 per cent).

Before preferences Mrs Phillips claimed 36.19 per cent of the vote, Mr Mundine 29.19, Mrs Hodgkinson 12.50, the Greens' Carmel McCallum 9.97 per cent, Mr Schultz 7.04, United Australia Party's Milton Leslight 3.38 and Christian Democratic Party's (Fred Nile Group) Sarah Kolukulapally 1.72 per cent.

It is understood Mr Constance, who does live in the electorate, albeit at the far southern end of the seat, has also been backed by Mr Morrison.

There was outrage among members at the last election when the then endorsed candidate Grant Schultz was disendorsed and Mr Mundine parachuted in.

Schultz resigned from the party, later stood as an independent and has since "been expelled" from the Liberal Party.

Sitting Liberal member Ann Sudmalis dramatically quit politics prior to the election, blaming "branch stacking and unethical behaviour by Liberal colleagues".

Along with former Gilmore MP Jo Gash, they backed Mrs Hodgkinson's campaign, further weakening the Liberal's voter base.

"At least Andrew [Constance] lives in the electorate," one source said but again reiterated any decision should be "up to local members and not be pressured by the PM."

"The Mundine decision blew up last time. Parachuting someone from the North Shore was never going to work. We virtually handed Labor the seat," the source said.

In May 2020 Mr Constance announced he would seek Liberal pre-selection at the Eden-Monaro by-election, which led to a spat with current NSW Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro, who also announced intentional to run.

Just 24 hours after making his intentions known, Mr Constance abandoned his bid, saying he "needed to remain focused on the bushfire recovery" and also had "unfinished business" as Transport Minister.

Likewise, Mr Barilaro also withdrew.

Labor's Mike Kelly held the seat on a 0.9 per cent margin but resigned for health reasons, sparking the by-election.

The seat was eventually won by former Bega Valley Mayor Kristy McBain for Labor.

Mr Constance was contacted for comment.