The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has laid out some of the potential running mates for presidential nominee Ganjar Pranowo on its radar as the largest party in the ruling coalition hinted at the possibility of widening its electoral alliance.

Speaking on the sidelines of the party’s three-day national meeting on Tuesday, PDI-P executive and heir apparent Puan Maharani revealed that the party remained open to pairing the Central Java governor with some oft-mentioned potential vice-presidential candidates in public opinion polls.

Among names on the PDI-P’s radar are Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno, Democratic Party chair Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Golkar Party chair Airlangga Sutarto and member Ridwan Kamil, who is also the West Java governor.

“They will eventually be narrowed down, but not today as we are still weighing every potential name,” Puan said.

Another name proposed for consideration is Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, a PDI-P member who has earned the nickname of “the father of infrastructure” by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for his role in building infrastructure in Papua, Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara, according to secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto.

"These names will be reviewed by the party’s chairwoman in every aspect before holding dialogue with leaders of other parties and the President,” Hasto said on Wednesday.

PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who has an undisputable veto on the party’s ticket, said in April that she was in no rush to make up her mind over the vice-presidential pick, with “more than 10 figures” having lined up to be Ganjar’s running mate.

Speculation has been rife that Megawati had been weighing pairing Ganjar with a figure from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Islamic organization, representing many of the country’s mainstream Muslims, in a strategy some analysts say was crucial for the victory of Jokowi during his reelection in 2019. But such a scenario is relevant only to a few names the PDI-P has considered so far, such as Mahfud, who has some cultural ties with the NU, and Sandiaga should he join the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP).

Some party executives stressed that the question about who will run alongside Ganjar in the election next year would only be discussed once the party had concluded its alliance talks, which are currently still underway.

“[Talks with] parties that are interested in supporting Ganjar are still in progress. Chances are there will be more in the coming few days,” Ahmad Basarah, a PDI-P executive in charge of coordinating grassroots supporters and campaign volunteers, told reporters on Wednesday.

“Only after the political partnership between parties has been finalized will Megawati open discussions [about the running mate] with the chairs of the political parties and [she] certainly would ask for opinions from Jokowi, in his capacity as a PDI-P member, and also from Ganjar,” Basarah said.

More potential partners

The PDI-P has hinted at the possibility of widening its alliance, with an unnamed political party set to hold exploratory talks with Megawati and the PDI-P central board on Friday over a potential partnership for the upcoming presidential race.

After Ganjar’s nomination in April, some other parties have been readjusting their position over whom they will back in the 2024 election. The PPP, one of the founding members of the Golkar Party-led United Indonesia Coalition (KIB), and non-legislature Hanura Party threw their support behind Ganjar days after his nomination.

The PPP has sought to pair Ganjar with Sandiaga, who recently left the Gerindra Party and is rumored to be planning to join the country’s oldest Muslim-based party. But PPP acting chairman Mardiono said the party would not make a fuss if none of its politicians ended up as Ganjar’s running mate.

The PDI-P-PPP alliance, known as the “watermelon coalition”, goes back to the early days of the Reform Era when former PPP chairman Hamzah Haz served as the vice president for then-president Megawati from 2001 to 2004.

Last week, the National Mandate Party (PAN), also a Muslim-based party and another member of the KIB, held its first exploratory meeting with the party, where PAN expressed its interest in backing Ganjar and proposed Erick to be his running mate in the upcoming election.

The talks however have yet to culminate as PAN is also weighing other alternatives, including backing Prabowo or pairing its chairman Zulkifli Hasan with Golkar’s presidential nominee Airlangga Hartarto.