The contest to replace Malcolm Turnbull in Parliament is heating up as Liberal campaigner Andrew Bragg quits his business job to run for the seat, intensifying the competition to win the endorsement of local party members.

Mr Bragg told colleagues at the Business Council of Australia on Tuesday morning that he was resigning immediately to focus on the eastern Sydney seat of Wentworth.

He joins City of Sydney councillor Christine Forster, former diplomat Dave Sharma and former member Peter King in the race for one of the Liberal Party’s most coveted electorates.

Former acting Liberal Party director Andrew Bragg is considered a close ally and friend to Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Bragg is the president of the Paddington branch and has lived in the electorate for years, but he faces strong competition from the other candidates in the wake of Mr Turnbull’s announcement to local supporters that he would resign on Friday.