LIBERAL candidate for Bendigo East Greg Bickley says it is still "premature" to call a final result in the seat on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With 52 per cent of the vote counted, he trails Labor MP Jacinta Allan by 5.8 per cent. Bendigo East had a pre-poll figure of 39.2 per cent.
Ms Allan claimed victory in the seat just before 9pm on Saturday night. The ABC also called Bendigo East for Labor before 9pm.
Mr Bickley said he wanted to "wait and see" before conceding defeat.
"I think we need to count pre-poll before we have a definite result," he said.
"The pre-poll number would have had an impact on the final outcome. I want to see how the votes look."
He reiterated it would be an "uphill battle" for him to win the seat.
The pre-polling centre for Bendigo East was in Strathdale, an area Mr Bickley believed drew strongly on his supporters.
The Victorian Electoral Commission is expected to continue to count pre-poll votes throughout Sunday.
The swing in Bendigo East is 2.6 per cent towards Labor, above the statewide average swing against the Coalition of 2.1 per cent.
Mr Bickley said the party will "go through a process of analysis" after the Victorian defeat.
