Vic Libs won't contest key city electorate

The Victorian Liberals won't contest a marginal inner-Melbourne seat held by Labor, but the Greens pose a threat.

Shortly before Thursday's deadline for political party candidate nominations, the Liberals confirmed challengers for other key marginal electorates Melbourne, Northcote and Brunswick.

The inner-city has traditionally been a Labor stronghold, but in recent years Liberal preferences have helped Labor sideline the Greens who are growing in popularity.

The Liberals are not fielding a candidate in Richmond, denying preferences to the Labor incumbent, Planning Minister Richard Wynne, over his involvement in the government's 2014 election campaign rorting scandal.

"The Liberal Party is not a preference machine for Daniel Andrews or the extreme Greens," Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said on Thursday.

"Someone like Dick Wynne who has been a part of the Labor rorts scandal, is refusing to co-operate with Victoria Police, how on earth could the Liberal Party offer preferences to the Labor party in the seat of Richmond when their candidate is refusing to co-operate?"

Richmond and Brunswick are both held by Labor while Northcote fell to the Greens in a by-election last year and Melbourne fell in 2014.