It was held to elect the governor of East Java along with their deputy, whilst members of the provincial council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah) will be re-elected in 2019.

Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo had requested for him to step down for ethical reasons, but he admitted that there are no binding regulations requiring him to do so.

[19] PDI-P joined the coalition, initially putting forth Banyuwangi regent Abdullah Azwar Anas as running mate until he stepped back following a scandal.

[20] The party later appointed Sukarno's granddaughter and two-term member of the People's Representative Council Puti Guntur Sukarnoputri to replace him in the ticket.

[16][21] Despite initially planning to run a ticket alongside PAN,[22] opposition parties Gerindra and PKS declared their support for Ipul-Puti on 10 January 2018.