Jakarta. Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri, said on Wednesday her party is being sidelined in the upcoming local elections, as rivals increasingly align with the coalition that backed Prabowo Subianto's successful presidential bid.

The four-party Advanced Indonesia Coalition, known by the local acronym KIM, which nominated Prabowo for the presidency in February, is now attracting additional parties to join forces for the simultaneous regional elections for governors, regents, and mayors set for November 27.

This coalition strategy is most apparent in North Sumatra, where KIM, along with three incumbent parties, has nominated Bobby Nasution, the son-in-law of President Joko Widodo, for governor. This leaves the opposition reliant on just two remaining parties for support.

A similar scenario is unfolding in East Java, where incumbent Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa is seeking reelection with the backing of KIM and three other parties.

"It’s amusing to observe the situation leading up to these local elections -- one party is not allowed to partner with another. I often think, ‘Poor PDI-P, it’s being outmaneuvered and left alone,’" Megawati said while announcing 13 gubernatorial candidates at the PDI-P headquarters in Jakarta.

"The other side is now referred to as KIM plus. I’m curious what the ‘plus’ really means," she added.

Nevertheless, Megawati underlined that it is ultimately the voters who have the power to choose their leaders and "act as the judges."

KIM has received implicit support from President Joko Widodo, whose son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was elected vice president alongside Prabowo.

The coalition is also eyeing the governorship in Jakarta, the nation's largest city, which will soon lose its status as the national capital but remain the country's business hub. KIM has nominated former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil for Jakarta and is persuading other parties to join them, in what critics say is a bid to block the candidacy of former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who was also a rival to Prabowo in the presidential election.

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