“We discussed a lot of things, but the central message is that we have to stand united and we must not be divided," said Sandiaga at an event in Banyuwangi, East Java, on Saturday. He added that reports of a widening rift between him and Prabowo were a misunderstanding resulting from a lack of communication between the two, citing their work as tourism minister and defense minister, respectively.

Sandiaga ran alongside Prabowo as vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election, which they eventually lost to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin. But signs of conflict between the two began to surface recently as Sandiaga appeared to harbor political ambitions of his own.

In December, Sandiaga hinted at his readiness to run in 2024, but only if a political party wanted him to. “We should give space to the parties to make their choices, but my achievements as tourism and creative economy minister speak for themselves," Sandiaga said at the time, as quoted by kompas.com.

While Sandiaga is still a member of Gerindra, political analyst Adi Prayitno believes that the party has no intention of pairing up Sandiaga with Prabowo once more. “The door for Sandiaga at Gerindra isn’t simply closed, but it’s been locked tight. [...] If Sandi [Sandiaga] wants to run [in 2024], the only way for him is to seek out other parties," Adi told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

With Gerindra having already nominated Prabowo and forming an alliance with the Muslim-based National Awakening Party (PKB), which is keen on nominating chairman Muhaimin Iskandar for the vice-presidential seat, Adi said that it was highly unlikely that Gerindra would go back on its word and support Sandiaga instead.

Instead, reports of a growing rapport between Sandiaga and PPP have intensified, with Gerindra executive board member Sufmi Dasco stoking the fires in December. “I heard from my friends in the PPP that Pak Sandi is just one step away from becoming a member of the PPP," said Dasco, as reported by kompas.com.

Read also: Gerindra launches campaign committee, solidifies move for Prabowo’s third presidential bid

While inaugurating Gerindra’s new campaign and electoral committee headquarters in Jakarta last week, Prabowo also delivered a remark that many perceived as a subtle dig at Sandiaga’s political maneuvering. “If you don’t feel right with Prabowo, that’s okay, you can move to another party. [...] In the past, I too left Golkar, but I did it amicably. I said goodbye to the chairman and to other senior members, and I wrote a resignation letter," said Prabowo.

Sandiaga was absent from the inauguration, but was seen attending the PPP’s 50th anniversary event in Yogyakarta the very next day with thousands of PPP members in attendance chanting “Sandi for president” according to tempo.co, further fueling the rumors of growing dissension between Sandiaga and Prabowo.

But Tuesday’s private meeting seems to have put the matter to rest, with Dasco saying, as quoted by tribunnews.com, that Sandiaga was prepared to follow Gerindra's instructions. “During the meeting, [Sandiaga] said that he would follow the party line, maintain his loyalty toward Pak Prabowo and support Prabowo’s candidacy".

Adi however, believes that the meeting was simply to alleviate tensions between the two and within Gerindra. “We don’t know if in the future Sandi will make contradicting statements and maneuvers. [...] We’ll wait and see if Sandi will speak of running again in the future, whether his statements about supporting Prabowo are simply lip service," said Adi.

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