The Nepali Congress on Friday declared party president Gagan Thapa as its prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming March elections.

A meeting of the newly elected central working committee at the party headquarters in Sanepa decided to participate in the elections by projecting Thapa as the party’s candidate for prime minister, said Devaraj Chalise, spokesperson for the party.

It was the first central working committee meeting since Thapa was elected Congress chief from the special general convention on January 15.

Vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma said the move was intended to give voters a clear choice on who the party wants to lead the government. He had tabled the proposal at the meeting.

The Congress move comes after the CPN-UML and the Rastriya Swatantra Party announced their own prime ministerial candidates. The UML has already named its chair KP Sharma Oli, as its candidate, while the RSP has declared Balendra Shah as its choice ahead of the elections.