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ounting down to the April 9 legislative election, political parties are relying heavily on the popularity of certain members to boost their chances in the capital city.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislative candidate Charles Honoris said the rising popularity of PDI-P politician and Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo had made the party upbeat it would secure the most seats in the city on election day.

'Looking at Pak Jokowi's leadership and popularity in Jakarta, PDI-P is optimistic it will clinch nine legislative seats, three from each of Jakarta's three electoral districts,' said Charles, who is running as a legislative candidate in the Jakarta-3 electoral district.

As governor since 2012, Jokowi has enjoyed positive media publicity mainly due to his hands-on style of leadership. Many surveys have also put the former mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, as the strongest contender in the upcoming presidential election.

While the PDI-P sees its popularity soaring ahead of the legislative election, the city's two biggest political parties, the Democratic Party (PD) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), have been struggling to keep their supporters amid various graft cases implicating prominent party figures.

In December, former PKS chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his involvement in a beef import graft case. Last week, PD ex-chairman Anas Urbaningrum was also arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for his alleged role in the Hambalang sports complex graft case.

PKS legislative candidate Igo Ilham said the case implicating Luthfi would not significantly damage the party's performance in Jakarta.

According to Igo, the party was optimistic it could win three out of seven seats in the Jakarta-2 electoral district, where he and popular lawmaker and former Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Hidayat Nur Wahid were running.

'Our internal surveys found that Pak Hidayat would easily win a seat in the district, while the other five candidates, including myself, share an equal opportunity to win the other two seats,' the two-time city councilor said.

There are currently 249 politicians running to win one of 21 legislative seats offered in three Jakarta electoral districts: six offered in the Jakarta-1 electoral district, which represents East Jakarta municipality; seven in Jakarta-2, representing South Jakarta municipality, Central Jakarta municipality and overseas voters; and eight in Jakarta-3 electoral district, representing North Jakarta municipality, West Jakarta municipality and the Thousand Islands regency.

According to data from the General Elections Commission (KPU), there are currently 7 million voters in Jakarta and 2 million overseas.

In the 2009 general election, PD managed to become the city's largest political party after it secured eight legislative seats, followed by PKS and PDI-P with four and three seats respectively.

The Golkar Party and the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party each secured two seats, while the two remaining seats went to the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP).

Among popular politicians running as legislative candidates in the city are former Jakarta senator Biem Triani Benyamin, now a Gerindra politician; PAN head of research and development and former deputy governor candidate Didik Rachbini; former PDI-P lawmaker and businesswoman Wiryanti Sukamdani; and incumbent lawmakers Hayono Isman of PD, Okky Asokawati of PPP, Adang Daradjatun of PKS and Tantowi Yahya of Golkar.

Considering the involvement of PD and PKS politicians in recent graft cases, University of Indonesia political science lecturer Ikhsan Darmawan is predicting a change in the city's political constellation.

'While PKS can still hold on to its loyal cadres, PD will likely lose a significant number of legislative seats in Jakarta since its former supporters might cast their votes for smaller parties like Gerindra and Hanura [People's Conscience Party],' Ikhsan said.

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political science researcher Firman Noor is also forecasting changes to Jakarta's political make-up.

'PDI-P, PKS, PD and even PPP have all won general elections in the city. There is always a chance that Jakarta will have new winners,' Firman said.

However, PD legislative candidate Kastorius Sinaga, who is running in the Jakarta-2 electoral district, said he believed that PD's role as a ruling party would help it win a significant number of seats in Jakarta.

'The government's responsive support for migrant workers, for example, could translate to more votes from overseas,' he said.