The Sydney-born Chinese Australian would not confirm whether he would nominate but party sources said he has been encouraged by senior Liberals to run.
"My end goal is to make a difference, whether it’s in state or federal politics, in business or in charity, 100 per cent," he said.
"People want someone who’s not a typical politician, they want someone they can trust and to gain that trust you have to be authentic and genuine."
Mr Yung, 26, became a serious threat in the Labor stronghold of Kogarah after video emerged in the last week of the election campaign of Labor leader Michael Daley telling a pub audience that "Asians with PhDs … are moving in and taking jobs" in Sydney.
Like Kogarah, Reid has a significant cohort of Chinese Australians. If he chooses to run, Mr Yung will have network of supporters and volunteers still energised from the state campaign.
"They’re still pumped," he said.
Mr Ahmed, a Bangladeshi-born psychiatrist on the conservative end of the Liberal Party, was expecting party endorsement for the seat but has been blindsided by a last-minute push from supporters of Mr Yung.
"Yes, I'd like to run for the seat of Reid," he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Tanveer Ahmed while campaigning for the Liberal Party during the 2008 council elections.Credit:Nick Moir
"Reid represents the kaleidoscope of Australian races, creeds and faiths. My wife and two kids are the very epitome of a modern Australian family.
"We use the schools, parks, all the facilities of the area and have done so for over a decade."
However, Mr Ahmed's appeal is undermined by controversies over his journalism. He was dropped by the Herald in 2012 after the ABC's Media Watch said he had plagiarised content in his columns.
In 2015, he was dumped by The Australian newspaper after further accusations of plagiarism. Asked about these incidents on Monday, Dr Ahmed said: "They were technical areas of attribution from someone who is not a professional journalist. I'm not proud of that mistake but like politics, mistakes in journalism all happen in public."
Mr Ahmed has urgently sought to rid himself of any constitutional problems under section 44. He says he has legal advice that he is not a Bangladeshi citizen, but has also taken steps to renounce any citizenship he may hold.
Michael Koziol is a political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Esther Han is the state politics and health reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald
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