The boss of the shoppies’ union, Shlok Sharma, has been preselected by Territory Labor to run for the Wanguri electorate at the next election to replace retiring MLA Nicole Manison, with the party calling the star candidate a “champion” of workers’ rights and a “passionate advocate for the people”.

The party also announced on Tuesday that all current Labor Members of Parliament, except Ms Manison and Paul Kirby, have been pre-selected and will re-contest the next election, including disgraced former chief minister Natasha Fyles in Nightcliff.

Mr Sharma, 32, defeated businesswoman Andrea Moriarty for preselection in Wanguri, which Chief Minister Eva Lawler said on ABC Radio involved a vote of roughly 30 party members, with the majority selecting Mr Sharma after hearing about each candidates’ “values”.

Mr Sharma, a “born and bred Territorian”, is a long time backroom party operative who has worked on numerous campaigns with Territory Labor and held government jobs including in Treasury and as an adviser to Member for Solomon Luke Gosling.

He is currently the head of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association; former chief minister Michael Gunner’s union.

“He is a passionate advocate for the people of Leanyer, Muirhead and Wanguri and is committed to continue to work for the electorate, just like sitting member Nicole Manison,” party secretary Karlee Dalton said in a statement.

Ms Lawler said Mr Sharma is “a Territorian who has worked tirelessly to improve conditions for workers and also advocated for businesses to set up and create new opportunities up here”.

Ms Manison, who resigned from politics after the Labor caucus shot down her bid to be chief minister for the second time in December, said she is “thrilled Shlok has put up his hand to represent the Wanguri electorate – the community he grew up in and loves as much as I do”.

Mr Sharma said he was “humbled” to be preselected and would be focused on “cost of living measures, more work, and continue to work to make our community safe” as he prepares for the election by getting around the electorate.

Other Labor candidates for the 2024 Territory election have yet to be announced.

“We’re continuing that process, so we call for nominations across the board,” she told ABC Radio. “We also always go through a vetting process, so we’ll pass that vetting process.

“There are also some seats where there are people who have been selected but they will wait, possibly due to work commitments and might be in private enterprise. It might be a few weeks before they make their announcements.”

The CLP is finalising its list of candidates which is expected to be revealed as early as this weekend’s central council meeting.