Participants of the race include former local bureaucrats, the current deputy mayor and politically wired figures with connections to local and national political elites. The city, with around 1.7 million inhabitants, has a strategic importance to the candidates, with political analysts saying the election winners could potentially be worth watching on the national political stage.

Former regional secretary Muhamad is running for mayor with running mate Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, the niece of Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. Meanwhile, incumbent Deputy Mayor Benyamin Davnie is hoping to succeed the current mayor, Airin Rachmi Diany, with the help of running mate Pilar Saga Ihsan, a Golkar Party politician and son of current Serang Regent Ratu Atut Chasanah. Vice President Ma’ruf Amin’s daughter Siti Nurazizah is also in the race with Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Ruhamaben as her running mate.

Where do things stand between the candidates?

Pollsters have predicted that the upcoming race will be tightly contested, with each ticket failing to build a significant lead. The election could come down to the swing vote.

An Indikator Politik Indonesia survey, conducted with the participation of 820 South Tangerang residents who are eligible to vote in the upcoming election, found the Muhamad-Rahayu ticket at the top of the electability ratings with 38.6 percent in early November.

The Benyamin-Pilar ticket was not too far behind with 33.2 percent, while Siti-Ruhamaben trailed with 16.4 percent. A total of 11.8 percent of respondents surveyed by Indikator said they did not know or refused to answer who they would vote for.