The NSW Nationals will open nominations early next month to preselect a candidate to contest the seat for the party at the March 2011 State election.

Four names have already been floated as likely candidates.

They include businessman Mitchell Lyons, the chairperson of the party’s electorate branch, and barrister Andrew Gee, the chairperson of the party’s Orange branch.

Other contenders could be Orange councillors Fiona Rossiter and Sam Romano.

The outcome of a preselection contest for the federal seat of Calare between councillor Cr Romano and incumbent MP John Cobb will be known on April 10.

If Cr Romano loses the challenge, he could nominate for pre-selection for the State seat of Orange.

The electorate is one of the NSW Nationals’ safest.

They retain it with a margin of 17.2 per cent.

Mr Turner will not anoint a successor.

“I can honestly say I do not have a preferred candidate,” he said.

“Even if I did I’m not going to tell.”

NSW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner also refused to nominate the potential preselection successor.

“Quite often it’s actually the kiss of death for a candidate to have the endorsement of the party leader,” he said.

He rejected suggestions the pre-selection could be a bitter and divisive battle for the party.

“We don’t have a history of them becoming a factional war,” Mr Stoner said.

“Very rarely do we see any sort of spill out into the community of bad blood.”

bevan.shields@ruralpres s.com