Expert: There Is Sudaryono's Role Behind Luthfi-Yasin's Victory In The Central Java Regional Head Election

Political communication expert Effendi Gazali assesses that there is the role of the Chairman of the Regional Leadership Council (DPD) of the Central Java Gerindra Party (Central Java), Sudaryono and his troops in winning Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin who excels in the quick calculation of a number of survey institutions related to the 2024 Central Java Pilkada.

According to him, Sudaryono succeeded in carrying out orders from the General Chairperson of the Gerindra Party DPP Prabowo Subianto to win Luthfi-Yasin against Andika Perkasa-Hendar Prihadi.

"If we pay attention to the Central Java gubernatorial election, there is a figure of Sudaryono who played a very important role in the last moments ahead of the election for the Central Java regional election to win Luthfi-Taj Yasin. So when he came down the mountain, Luthfi-Yasin's voice immediately paid off," said Effendi when contacted, Thursday, November 28.

As Chairman of the Central Java Gerindra DPD, continued Effendi, Sudaryono has a wide network down to the lower levels. His track record as a figure who has almost advanced in the Central Java gubernatorial election has further strengthened the credibility of the Luthfi-Yasin pair in the eyes of voters.

"And interestingly, there are other forces that Sudaryono has, namely the Jangkrik Troops. This Jangkrik troop means reaching all points, so that there are no empty points. This is also what Sudaryono has done to win the Prabowo-Gibran pair in Central Java during the last presidential election," he said.

Effendi assessed that Sudaryono or who is familiarly called Mas Dar's support has become an important factor in changing the map of political competition in the bull pen. According to him, the presence of Sudaryono as an active figure in the consolidation of winning over the last 10 days ahead of the election had a big impact on Luthfi-Taj Yasin.

"Mas Dar or Sudaryono has a big influence as Chairman of the Central Java Gerindra DPD. We can see from various media platforms, he directly went to all regencies/cities in Central Java to garner support in the last seconds before the election, and this makes a significant difference in the vote of victory for the Luthfi-Yasin pair," he explained.

Effendi said that Sudaryono's success in consolidating the strength of Gerindra made him a new force capable of comparable the dominance of the PDI-P which has controlled Central Java for the past decade.

"Mas Dar or Sudaryono's presence certainly adds to the new dimension which brought in a differential voice from the previous Luthfi-Taj Yasin voice," he continued.

Prior to voting day, said Effendi, a number of survey institutions put the Luthfi-Yasin pair in a fairly thin position with the Andika-Hendi pair promoted by the PDI Perjuangan. However, he saw a shift in support from swing voters and unlawful voters who finally switched to the Luthfi-Yasin pair. This transition, according to him, was thanks to the consolidation carried out by Sudaryono.

"With the support from Gerindra and sympathizers of Mas Dar, the vote of swing voters and unlawful voters finally led to the Luthfi-Yasin pair, who also changed the competition map. This shows how the right consolidation strategy can affect the final results of the Pilkada," said Effendi.

In addition, Effendi added, the victory of the Luthfi-Yasin pair also showed that Gerindra managed to open a new sound niche. Especially among sympathizers Prabowo and Sudaryono in Central Java, who previously might not have chosen the Luthfi-Yasin pair.

"With this victory, Sudaryono and the Gerindra Party are seen as new forces that are increasingly being reckoned with in Central Java on the national political stage, moreover, Ahmad Luthfi himself has now officially become a cadre of the Gerindra Party under Prabowo Subianto's command," he said.

Furthermore, Effendi explained, the figure of Sudaryono has long been known as a figure who is close to the community. Especially among farmers, market traders, and grassroots communities in Central Java. This is because Sudaryono was previously supported by the majority of Central Javanese people and planned to run as a candidate for governor.

"When he (Sudaryono, ed) decided not to run in the Central Java gubernatorial election and supported the Luthfi-Yasin pair, his support automatically brought a large flow of solid masses who were previously ready to support him," he concluded.

For information, based on the results of the quick count of Charta Politica until 10.13 WIB with a 100 percent vote, the pair Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin received 58.44 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, Andika Perkasa-Hendrar Prihadi's pair received 41.56 percent of the votes.

In addition, Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) recorded that the pair Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin received 59.16 percent of the total 100 percent of the votes that had entered until 23.22 WIB yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Andika Perkasa-Hendrar Prihadi pair received 40.84 percent of the votes.

In addition, Indonesian Political Indicators who recorded Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin's vote were 58.31 percent of the total 100 percent of the votes that had entered until 08.19 WIB.

Meanwhile, Andika Perkasa-Hendrar Prihadi got 41.69 percent of the vote.