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

Incumbent Ahmad Heryawan was barred from participating in the re-elections after having served two full terms.

Candidates included the sitting vice governor Deddy Mizwar, mayor of Bandung Ridwan Kamil, People's Representative Council member Tubagus Hasanuddin and retired major general Sudrajat.

[6] Under regulations, candidates are required to secure the support of a political party or a coalition thereof comprising at least 20 seats in the regional house.

Alternatively, independent candidates may run provided they are capable of securing support from 6.5 percent of the total voter population (2,132,470) in form of photocopied ID cards subject to verification by the local committee although no candidates expressing interest managed to do this.