Anies, often seen as the political antithesis of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, has consistently placed in the top three likely presidential candidates in public opinion polls, alongside Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

The NasDem Party, Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) formed an electoral alliance called Coalition of Change for Unity (KPP) earlier this year and named Anies their presidential nominee. But they have yet to settle on his running mate. The parties have now agreed to allow Anies to pick his own vice presidential candidate from a list of vetted figures.

The political community, however, appears not to have forgotten the tactics he employed during the highly divisive 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race, in which he was accused of fueling a wave of Islamic zealotry to defeat Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the Christian incumbent.

This has made it harder for Anies to attract a running mate who will temper his religious conservative image to appeal to the wider electorate.

Read also: Vice-presidential candidates in focus in alliance talks

NU figures?

One question under debate in the KPP is whether Anies should run alongside a moderate Muslim figure affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Islamic organization, to win the support of more liberal voters.

Several names have come up, including East Java Governor Khofifah Indah Parawansa; Ilham Habibie, the third son of former president BJ Habibie; Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD; and Yenny Wahid, the second daughter of former president and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.

Having an NU-affiliated figure running alongside him would help Anies rehabilitate his image and expand his appeal, said Adi Prayitno, a political analyst and executive director of Parameter Politik Indonesia.

“Pairing Anies with an NU figure can be a way of showing voters that NU’s opposition to him in the 2017 Jakarta election was more about policies, rather than the religious card he played,” Adi said.

He added that a moderate Muslim running mate could help Anies in East Java in particular, an NU stronghold where support for him is relatively low.

Thanks, but no thanks

But finding a moderate politician willing to be associated with Anies is another issue.

Most people on the VP candidate list have turned down the alliance’s offer or hinted at their disinterest. Mahfud evaded the question last month by saying that he was prioritizing his duty as a minister to make sure the election went forward as scheduled. Khofifah, too, has consistently avoided answering the question of whether she would serve as Anies’ running mate.

Yenny, an activist for pluralism, has been similarly evasive. While she has intensified talks with Anies’ backers, she said last week that she would “stay true” to her values and stressed that she had not yet decided whom she would support in the upcoming election.

“I have to safeguard [my] values. They come from a very long political lineage, not just Gus Dur, Mbah [Grandfather] Wahid and Mbah Hasyim,” Yenny said, as quoted by kompas.com, referencing NU cleric Wahid Hasyim and founder Hasyim Asy’ari.

Read also: Rivals Ganjar, Anies 'reunite' on haj as parties scramble over VP discussions

Anies’ label as “the father of identity politics” made him a less appealing match for NU figures, said political researcher Wasisto Raharjo of the government’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

“Such an image is quite contrary to interfaith activist Yenny Wahid, for example, who often encourages dialogue across communities,” Wasisto said.

Anies appears to be left with a limited set of choices, including Democratic leader Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, despite having amassed a significant base of support among voters opposed to Jokowi, Adi of Parameter Politik said.