The battle for the seat of Eden-Monaro is heating up after federal Labor MP Mike Kelly announced his resignation, triggering a by-election.

Labor has put forward a strong candidate with the Mayor of Bega, Kristy McBain, and one of the previous top picks for the role, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, has decided not to take up the challenge.

Following Mr Barilaro’s announcement, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has called a news conference for Tuesday to reveal his intentions for contesting the seat.

Nine News state political reporter Liz Daniels has spoken with Mr Constance ahead of his statement tomorrow, and has confirmed to Ben Fordham he will indeed be contesting the seat.

“Ben, I can tell you that Andrew Constance will have his hat in the ring tomorrow.”

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Image: Nine News