The blood had barely dried from Barry O'Farrell falling on his sword before his heir apparent, Gladys Berejiklian, was doing the numbers.
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Within an hour of Mr O'Farrell's announcement that he was quitting as NSW Premier, the transport minister was believed to be hard at work trying to win over Liberal MPs to support her bid to replace the outgoing Premier.
Ms Berejiklian, who is one of the key leaders of the party's Left faction, is tipped to be the frontrunner to replace Mr O'Farrell along with Treasurer Mike Baird.
Mr O'Farrell has always seen Ms Berejiklian as his successor.
Mr Baird is expected to win the support of the party's Right faction, who have been impressed with his aggressive push to privatise the state's assets.
Finance Minister Andrew Constance and Community Services Minister Pru Goward are also understood to be in the running for next week's ballot.
Mr Constance may garner some support from the Left, and Ms Goward is popular among regional MPs. AAP
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