Presidential contenders jostle for support in East Java

Two men study the list of 2019 general election candidates posted on a bulletin board outside the General Elections Commission office in Malang, East Java. - The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): All three of the nation’s presidential hopefuls have in recent days visited East Java, where they met with important figures and grassroots volunteers in a bid to lure voters from the country’s second most populous province, which is seen as a key battleground in next year's election.

Presumptive nominees Anies Baswedan, whose presidential bid is backed by the pro-government NasDem Party and National Awakening Party (PKB), as well as the opposition Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), both went to East Java’s capital Surabaya over the weekend.