The feud between Jokowi and the PDI-P came to a head last week when Megawati formally expelled the former president, along with his son Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and son-in-law Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution, for openly going against the party in the February presidential election.

The rivalry between Jokowi and Megawati quickly entered its new chapter with PDI-P executive Deddy Yevri Sitorus alleging that the former president sought to take over the party from Megawati in the upcoming chairmanship race at its national congress slated for April next year.

He was responding to media inquiries about reports that Jokowi had been seeking ways to have the PDI-P replace secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto with a party member allied with the former president so that he could influence the course of the leadership race. Hasto is known as a Megawati loyalist and a vocal critic of Jokowi.

“We are not denying it. [We, party members, have heard] the issue some time ago. And it appeared to have been deliberately revived in the lead-up to the party’s national congress,” Deddy said in a press conference on Thursday.

Speculations about Jokowi seeking to intervene in the party’s upcoming chairmanship race first emerged earlier this year when a Megawati speech suggested that someone was plotting to prevent her from being reelected and to take over the party’s chair position.

Megawati is the longest-serving party leader in the country.