A second Northern Territory Country Liberal Party member has quit party ranks to run against its candidate in a key federal election seat.
Kylie Bonanni, a former CLP candidate, member of the party's management committee and a current advisor to Senator Sam McMahon, will contest the federal seat of Solomon as an independent.
She's the latest in a string of high-ranking party members to resign from the CLP in recent months, a list which includes Senator McMahon.
"I resigned because I didn't like the way the party was running," Ms Bonanni told the ABC.
"I'm just disillusioned by the team that they have in place. It's not the team that they once were, and who I aspired to work with and build opportunities for the territory."
She also blamed what she perceived as inaction by the CLP over allegations raised by Senator McMahon in her valedictory Senate speech last week as a reason for her resignation.
"I was really emotionally affected by that," Ms Bonanni said.
Ms McMahon alleged in her speech that she had been subjected to "abuse" by a former staffer during her time in office.
CLP president Fiona Darcy acknowledged Ms Bonanni's resignation but rebuffed her concerns about the way the party was being run.
"I am happy to say the CLP is invigorated … we are overwhelmed with membership requests, both former and new ones," she said.
Ms Darcy did not comment on Ms McMahon's allegations.
Ms Bonanni said she would be standing as an independent for now, but did not rule out aligning with another party in the future. She said she would have more information in the coming weeks.
As the CLP's candidate for the inner Darwin electorate of Fong Lim in the 2020 NT election, Ms Bonanni polled a close second to Labor's Mark Monaghan.
Her latest move follows the resignation last week of former CLP vice president Jed Hansen, who has also announced he would be vying for the seat of Solomon as an independent.
Both will now be running against the CLP's candidate Tina MacFarlane.
Claims CLP members wanted to remove candidate
In further signs of internal turmoil, party leaders have also sought to hose down allegations that some members considered replacing Ms MacFarlane as the party's Solomon candidate late last year.
Mr Hansen last week said discussions had taken place after concerns were raised about Ms MacFarlane's performance.
"There was concerns raised from various party members and there was truth in regards to management wishing to move on from Tina."
Ms Bonanni also said internal discussions to replace Ms MacFarlane had happened.
"My understanding is yes, that's true," Ms Bonanni said.
The ABC has also been told by another CLP source that discussions to remove Ms MacFarlane from the campaign took place at a party meeting on December 22 last year.
Ms Darcy did not deny the allegations but said the party was constantly evaluating the performance of its candidates.
"We did talk about Tina's performance, as we do, [with] every candidate and indeed every MLA and see how things can be improved," she said.
Ms MacFarlane has dismissed the claims.
Ms MacFarlane, a former grazier from Mataranka, has previously run for the seat of Lingiari in 2013 and 2016, falling short on both occasions.
This election will be her first run for the seat of Solomon.
Independents will 'likely split' CLP vote
ABC election analyst Antony Green said the CLP's ongoing rifts would pose a real danger to the party's chances on election day.
"A couple of ex-CLP members running as independents is most likely to split the vote of the CLP, and that'll make it harder for the CLP candidate to defeat the Labor member [Luke Gosling]," he said.
"What the emergence of extra candidates indicates is the internal warfare which is dogging the CLP."
Mr Green said the Morrison Government had shown signs that it was hungry for a win in Solomon to help it compensate for possible seat losses in the states of WA, NSW and Victoria.
