Ward,a long-time powerbroker in his area,was suspended from the parliament and the Liberal Party after he was charged with sexual assault. He has denied any wrongdoing and remains before the court where the matter is scheduled to be heard after the election. Ward is recontesting his seat.
The NSW division of the Liberal Party came under fire during the federal election campaign for significant delays in selecting candidates,including some that were chosen at the 11th hour.
Premier Dominic Perrottet vowed that he would not allow similar delays to plague his campaign, but the party has struggled to find suitable candidates for many seats.
Labor wants to finish preselections for all 93 lower house seats by Monday,ahead of nominations closing on March 8. The Liberals,however,are yet to field candidates in a host of seats,including Auburn,Bankstown,Granville,Port Stephens,Rockdale,Strathfield,Wyong and Blue Mountains.
The Liberals hope to finalise some seats at the weekend but will still have more than a dozen outstanding. Their Coalition partners,the Nationals,have had all candidates in place for some time.
Meanwhile,NSW Labor leader Chris Minns is backing a push to run former state cabinet minister Steve Whan in the southern electorate of Monaro,held by the Nationals.