- The seat has been held by independent Cathy McGowan since 2013 after being a safe Liberal seat since 1977

- The main towns are Alexandra, Beechworth, Benalla, Bright, Corryong, Eildon, Kinglake, Mansfield, Marysville, Mount Beauty, Myrtleford, Rutherglen, Tallangatta, Wangaratta (key booth), Wodonga (key booth) and Yea.

- Industries include tourism, agriculture and manufacturing

- You can follow our coverage of the election and send us photos using #IndiVotes through social media platforms or staying glued to The Border Mail website and Facebook page.

Former-member Sophie Mirabella, Liberal, garnered about 44 per cent of initial first preferences while Ms McGowan attracted 31 per cent.

Ms McGowan edged Ms Mirabella in the pre-polling centres in Wodona and Wangaratta as well as booths in surrounding towns.

On a two-candidate preferred basis Ms Mirabella was stronger around the boundaries of the seat.

- The Victorian state government’s CFA crisis

- Declining milk prices

- Regional investment

Ballot order: 5

Party: Independent

Bio: The incumbent for Indi got in by a nose in 2013 after getting the flow of preferences to pip Liberal Sophie Mirabella. Ms McGowan’s success stemmed from a grass-roots campaign built on a platform of “listening" to a disgruntled electorate. The orange army supported her with more than 1000 donations totalling about $130,000 to aid that campaign and it will be hard to replicate the same figures in a race tipped to be hers to lose. Read more.

Related stories: 

Ballot order: 2

Party: Liberal

Bio: An early gaffe regarding Wangaratta Hospital funding may have harmed Ms Mirabella’s comeback but even that seems like an age ago in this marathon election. Heavy hitters Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop lending their names to Ms Mirabella’s campaign with stops in the electorate. She announced $4.8 million for the Murray Primary Health Network to combat ice and has been on hand at other funding announcements by the Nationals. Read more.

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Ballot order: 8

Party: Nationals

Bio: Taking up the wombat trail as the third horse in a tight race is Marty Corboy. Sports betting agencies see his chances as being better than Ms Mirabella’s but no one quite knows to which coalition candidate the preferences will flow. The family man and small business owner has had several visits from Nationals ministers Fiona Nash, Darren Chester and, the top-dog of the party, Barnaby Joyce. The biggest coalition commitment has been $10 million for Indi roads. Read more.

Ballot order: 6

Party: Labor

Bio: 22-year-old Eric Kerr isn’t the traditional Labor candidate, he has openly declared he would cross the floor if need on select issues including the treatment of asylum seekers. Mr Kerr had to step down from the Wodonga Council after being pushed to by his party despite thinking he was in the clear by taking leave halfway through the campaign. The arrival of Ms McGowan last election saw Labor drop to 11 per cent in first preferences, a decline he is hoping to turn around. Read more.

Ballot order: 3

Party: The Greens

Bio: Veteran candidate Jenny O’Connor is running for the eighth time for a federal or state position. Ms O’Connor said she wasn’t going to nominate but then she saw Ms Mirabella was going to make a comeback. Ms O’Connor has been vocal on broader social issues which seem to have struck a chord with some Indi voters, such as asylum seekers and environmental policy. She has, however, shied away from comments saying a vote for her is basically a vote for Ms McGowan after preferences. Read more.

Ballot order: 1

Party: Independent

Bio: The snappily dressed Alan Lappin says his wardrobe is representative of his respect to the voters of the electorate. The independent is a fan of decentralisation and has decried global corruption as revealed through the Panama Papers and the dealings down on things like the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Read more.

Ballot order: 4

Party: Liberal Democrats

Bio: Tim Quilty was called a “goose” at one of the many, many, electoral forums for Indi. He took it with a smile since his party wants to repeal section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act in the name of free spech. He also promised the Liberal Democrats would balance the budget and remove the deficit by cutting government waste such as welfare for “the rich” who did not need the money. Read more.

Ballot order: 9

Party: Australian Country Party

Bio: Former-Wangaratta councillor Julian Fidge says he joined the Australian Country Party as opposed to the Nationals because the latter no longer can be a representative voice for the country, forgoing the good of the community for the coalition agreement. He announced during the campaign $800 million of Australian government funding should go to United Nations troops to keep asylum seekers safe and close to their own countries. Read more.

Ballot order: 7

Party: Independent

Bio: While Ray Dyer might not have the best chance of winning, the straight talking candidate has received applause for bringing a no-nonsense voice on forum panels lending his input on the CFA crisis and how he would do practical things like set up a shelter and fire for the homeless. Read more.

Ballot order: 10

Party: Rise Up Australia

Bio: Not much is known about the number 10 candidate on the ballot, Seymour man Vincent Ferrando was the only candidate missing from the Wangaratta election forum which he said was because of car trouble. He is a builder by trade. Read more – (External website).