The outcome infuriated some members of the party who wanted open contests in the three seats and,in particular,the chance to support a challenger against Mr Hawke in his blue-ribbon electorate in north-west Sydney.

While Mr Hawke is one of Mr Morrison’s closest political friends and allies,he has antagonised members of the moderate and conservative wings of the NSW division by building up the power of his “soft right” bloc and refusing to attend meetings that could have chosen candidates in marginal electorates last year.

“Alex Hawke has caused an immense amount of hate and animus toward him and the PM,” said one Liberal who wanted an open ballot of party members in Mitchell in the hope that Mr Hawke would be replaced.

“He will not be forgiven for this. The fury is palpable. The people of Mitchell will be denied the opportunity to have their say.”

The federal executive has also given the NSW division until March 25 to choose candidates for another six seats that remain in limbo ahead of the federal election:Bennelong,Dobell,Eden-Monaro,Hughes,Parramatta and Warringah.

With independent MP Zali Steggall holding the advantage of incumbency in Warringah,the Liberals have struggled to agree on whether their candidate should be disability campaigner David Brady,conservative candidate Lincoln Parker or Katherine Deves,a founder of the Save Women’s Sport campaign to exclude transgender people from competing directly against women.

A branch president in Tony Abbott’s former electorate of Warringah,Walter Villatora,emailed party officials and a senior aide to Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowing “a civil war in the party” if attempts were made to install Mr Brady over Mr Parker.

The contest for Bennelong includes former political adviser Gisele Kapterian,City of Sydney councillor Craig Chung and former McKinsey partner Simon Kennedy as leading options to replace retiring MP John Alexander.

The Liberals are yet to choose a candidate for Dobell on the Central Coast but many in the party favour Michael Feneley,a cardiologist who nominated for the seat in May.

Eden-Monaro on the South Coast and Hughes in southern Sydney,where Mr Morrison wanted to install state Liberal Melanie Gibbons in a bid to remove the sitting MP,Craig Kelly,who quit the Liberals for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party last February.

The Liberal Party’s moderate wing is backing local lawyer Jenny Ware for Hughes instead but support has been building for Alex Dore,who does not live in the electorate and has instead expressed interest in running for Warringah in the past.

The Liberals have not chosen a candidate for Parramatta,with factions at odds over who could win the seat from Labor given the sitting Labor MP,Julie Owens,has announced she will leave Parliament at the election.