A Golkar Party executive has denied that the party has any plans to pair Ridwan Kamil with Ganjar Pranowo, the presumptive nominee of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Golkar deputy chairman Ahmad Doli Kurnia said the party was still eyeing its chairman and incumbent Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto for vice president spot.

Ridwan gained popularity during his five-year term as West Java governor, which ended last week, and has ranked well in recent opinion polls as a potential vice presidential candidate.

Speculations over a possible Ganjar-Ridwan pairing grew rife after Ridwan’s visit last week with PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri at her private residence in Central Jakarta, where the two reportedly discussed his future plans.

The meeting stuck out because Golkar is a member of the Gerindra Party-led alliance, newly rebranded as the Onward Indonesia Coalition, which is backing Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto’s presidential bid next year.

“Within Golkar, we have laid plans that have been discussed thoroughly, starting from our target for the presidential election and the legislative election, as well as the regional elections,” Ahmad said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com.

“We have decided to nominate Ridwan as a candidate for a regional election, either to run for reelection in West Java or contesting the Jakarta gubernatorial race. We have not withdrawn this decision,” he added.

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