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eputy East Java Governor Saifullah Yusuf remains the candidate to beat in the East Java election, with Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini and Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa trailing behind, according to the latest opinion poll.

The deputy governor, widely known as Gus Ipul, came out on top in several configurations in a survey conducted by Jakarta-based pollster Charta Politika in June, leaving behind Khofifah and Risma.

The three are the most popular figures among the survey’s list of 21 potential candidates, which included former Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and National Mandate Party (PAN) legislator cum artist Anang Hermansyah.

In a comparison between the three figures, Saifullah was backed by 37 percent of the survey respondents, while Khofifah and Risma only got electability scores of 29 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The survey also put Saifullah in first position in a hypothetical election involving more candidates.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) nominated Saifullah in May to run in the 2018 gubernatorial election, dashing the hopes of the party’s East Java branch leader, Abdul Halim Iskandar, to clinch the nomination.

Many have predicted that Khofifah could become an strong contender to Saifullah.

Khofifah, however, has yet to announce her gubernatorial bid, even though several parties, including the Golkar Party, have tapped her as a potential gubernatorial nominee.

Charta Politika executive director Yunarto Wijaya said Khofifah stood a better chance of challenging Saifullah in next year’s election than Risma, as the latter would be limited by a lack of approval from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. “There is a possibility that PDI-P will support Saifullah, judging from the past relationship between her and the party, along with the latter’s recent positive comments on Gus Ipul,” Yunarto said on Friday.

Should Khofifah decide to run, the East Java election would see a battle between two top Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) cadres.

Khofifah is currently head of Muslimat NU, the women’s wing of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization. Gus Ipul, meanwhile, is a renowned NU cadre, and his nomination has got the blessing of NU clerics in the province.

It would also be the second time for Khofifah to run for the top job in the province.

In 2013, Khofifah and her running mate Herman Sumawiredja lost to the incumbent pair of Soekarwo and Saifullah. She was then backed a coalition led by PKB.

On the other hand, Risma has stated her reluctance to compete for the seat from the very beginning, saying she wanted to concentrate on further developing the East Java capital.

Risma, who became the first directly elected female mayor for the provincial capital, is currently serving a second term after being elected in 2015.

The pollster also assessed potential deputy governor candidates, with Banyuwangi regent Abdullah Azwar Anas topping the list of dozens of names with an electability score of 12.5 percent.

Last month, Abdullah was endorsed by the Banyuwangi regional office of the PDI-P. The regional politicians, however, claimed they would wait for the party chairman’s decision regarding the nomination.

The pollster noted that electability scores could change in the future, as the election period had yet to begin.

“The respondents gave their preference without considering political parties behind each candidate or their platforms,” Charta Politika stated.

The pollster added that residents could change their minds if new candidates emerged or if these candidates withdrew from the race. (kuk)