Former Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell has said she will not be contesting the by-election in Dublin Bay South.
The pharmacist has claimed she is not the desired candidate of party HQ and it's become clear she wouldn't win a selection convention.
Ms O'Connell said her relationship with Leo Varadkar never recovered after she backed Simon Coveney in the last Fine Gael leadership contest.
The former TD has said in an interview with RTE that she will not contest the by-election in her constituency as an independent and will remain a party member.
Fine Gael Councillor James Geoghegan is expected to seek a nomination, while Senator Ivana Bacik is set to contest the race for Labour.
Dublin's Lord Mayor Hazel Chu will go head-to-head with fellow Green Party Councillor Claire Byrne for a place on the ticket.
In an interview with The Hard Shoulder this week, she said she spoke to the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan before throwing her hat in the ring to contest the by-election.
Mayor Chu, who is also chairperson of the party, said Minister Ryan told her to "go for it".
Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu outside Dublin City Hall in July 2020. Picture by: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ieThe move comes just weeks after Councillor Chu attempted to secure a Seanad seat as an Independent candidate.
However, she explained that she actually got a lot of support for her run.
"My executive of the party came out after the discussions, and the various motions put forward, and they were very clear on the fact that I didn't break any rules," she said.
"And be it that I was not endorsed, I was also not going to be reprimanded because there was a lot of people supporting my run.
"At the end of the day, the nominators for my run were members of the parliamentary party."
The election, triggered by the resignation of Fine Gael's Eoghan Murphy, will be held before the winter.
Additional reporting by Jack Quann and Marita Moloney
