I

n a fresh signal of another possible Cabinet reshuffle, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa has confirmed she would run for East Java governor next year, which may require her to soon resign from her post.

Khofifah acknowledged that she would meet President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to discuss the plan, pending a final decision on her running mate.

“After everything is in place, I will report to the President. It is not good to report partially,” Khofifah said in Surabaya on Sunday.

Khofifah is the head of Muslimat NU, the women’s wing of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, Nahdatul Ulama (NU),

East Java is NU’s stronghold, where blessings from its clerics have always played a crucial role in winning votes in the province.

Next year, the country will see 171 regions elect new leaders. Among them are Indonesia’s most populated provinces, East Java, West Java, Central Java and North Sumatra. The elections are believed to be crucial as it would shape the nation’s political landscape ahead of the 2019 legislative and presidential elections.

Khofifah announced her intention to run after securing support from five political parties, namely the Democratic Party, which has 13 seats in the East Java Provincial Legislative Council; the Golkar Party, which has 11 seats; the United Development Party (PPP), with five seats; the NasDem Party with four seats; and the Hanura Party, with two seats.

Khofifah has been touring a number of cities in the provinces in an apparent early attempt to woo voters. Her first declaration to run for governor was made before Muslimat NU members in Mojokerto on Saturday and was repeated in Surabaya on Sunday.

“All this time, I responded to questions asking whether I would run or not with ‘please be patient.’ Now, I feel it is the right time to convey that, insya Allah, I am ready to compete in the 2018 East Java election,” Khofifah told hundreds of NU members at the Amanatul Ummah Islamic boarding school in Surabaya.

Khofifah will compete against East Java Deputy Governor Saifullah “Gus Ipul” Yusuf, whose running mate is Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Azwar Anas. The pair is backed by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Gus Ipul is another notable NU figure who was close to late former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.

Competition between Gus Ipul and Khofifah may once again see division among NU voters as the 2018 election will be the third East Java gubernatorial race involving the two.

East Java Governor Soekarwo, who is also chairman of the Dems’ East Java chapter, acknowledged that the party, which is the biggest in the coalition backing Khofifah, would have the power to nominate her running mate. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s son, Agus Harimurti, was one of the party’s strongest candidates, he added.

Cleric Asep Saifuddin Chalim, spokesman of the so-called “Team of Nine,” comprising nine prominent clerics tasked to select a potential running mate for Khofifah, said the team had narrowed its list down to three names out of 10 initially proposed to them.

“We cannot reveal the names before we discuss them with party leaders,” said Asep, who is also chairman of the NU Teachers Union (Pergunu).

Parties that have yet to name a candidate for the East Java gubernatorial race are: the Gerindra Party, which has 13 legislative council seats; the National Mandate Party, with seven seats; and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which has six.

Surabaya Survey Center (SSC) director Mochtar W. Oetomo said Agus’s chance to be picked as Khofifah’s running mate is slim.

“Agus has been preparing for a national role. If he runs for deputy governor, I think it would downgrade his intended profile at the national political stage,” Mochtar added.