The businessman-turned-politician revealed in a recent press conference at his residence in Central Jakarta that he aimed to gain support for Gerindra from young voters and female voters, calling the latter "barisan emak" (housewife troops), who strongly supported his candidacy during April’s presidential election.

Sandiaga plans to further develop his flagship entrepreneurship programs namely the One District One Center of Entrepreneurship (OK OCE) and Rumah Siap Kerja (a program to help young people find jobs), following his return to the second-largest party at the House of Representatives.

"Gerindra has to secure more votes in the upcoming 2020 and 2024 elections," he said on Thursday, adding that the party's local groupings spread across the nation would be mobilized to also develop Gerindra's cooperatives, named Garudayaksa Nusantara, to boost the people's economy.

"We will help people at grassroots level [to improve their economy]. Gerindra is there for them."

Sandiaga first joined Gerindra in 2015 and successfully ran as the party's nominee for Jakarta deputy governor two years later. He resigned from the party shortly before being announced as Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto's running mate in the presidential election in 2018, in an effort to avoid an all-Gerindra presidential ticket and to appease other parties in the coalition.

Recently, Sandiaga posted a short video on his Instagram account with the caption, "I AM BACK." The video shows Sandiaga walking slowly toward the camera while unbuttoning his shirt, revealing a T-shirt emblazoned with the word "Gerindra" underneath.

Political experts believe his comeback to the party is an investment in his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election, as anyone aiming for such a position needs to "ride a political vehicle", or party.

"Sandiaga's return to Gerindra is one of his attempts to get exposure among the public, and to expand his networks to political figures in Gerindra itself or outside the party," said political observer Arya Fernandez of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

He added that Sandiaga's motivation was likely an eventual run at the president's office in 2024.

Meanwhile, Djayadi Hanan of pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) said Sandiaga's return to Gerindra was the correct one to maintain his popularity and build strong capital for the next presidential election, pointing out that Sandiaga was now "a national politician parallel to other national politicians [...] his popularity is equal to that of President [Joko] Jokowi [Widodo] and Gerindra chairman Prabowo [Subianto]".

Sandiaga appealed to many sectors of the electorate, particularly women, for his good looks and physique achieved through regular exercise. The 50-year-old was even once a model and a cover boy of local magazine Hai when he was 19.

In addition to his attractive appearance, the former venture capitalist is also known as a successful businessman who frequently makes it onto Forbes magazine's richest Indonesians lists.

Combined with these advantages Sandiaga’s previous role in the Jakarta administration also stood him in good stead in the presidential race. Current Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga beat then-incumbent pair Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

A presidential election survey during this year’s presidential campaign conducted by national daily Kompas revealed that Sandiaga's electability as vice-presidential candidate was higher than the other candidate for the post, Ma'ruf Amin. Around 50 percent of respondents aged 22 or above chose Sandiaga, while 30 percent of them chose the 75-year-old cleric, Ma'ruf. Forty-two percent of so-called Gen X participants picked Sandiaga, while 38 percent of them went for Ma'ruf.

The survey found Sandiaga was preferred because of — among other things — his physical appearance, his youth and his wealth.

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