Mahfud stated that the decision to resign from the position was an agreement between him and Ganjar from the beginning. "That I will definitely submit my resignation in a proper manner at the right time. So there is no disagreement between me and Mr. Ganjar," he emphasized.

"Previously, presidential candidate number 3, Ganjar Pranowo, suggested that his running mate, Mahfud MD, resign from his position as the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security (Menkopolhukam) due to participating in the 2024 Election."

"I suggest stepping back, changing the rules. Including Mr. Mahfud. So we have discussed with him about this matter to be fair, it's better to step back. If the rules are made better, the people will definitely be happier," said Ganjar in Kendal, Central Java, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The former Governor of Central Java explained that the involvement of public officials in the elections has the potential to trigger conflicts of interest, even though it has been done cautiously."

"Can we manage to keep ourselves neutral and not use facilities? Some people use facilities, use transportation tools for work visits, but there the people can see the campaign, so we are taking that risk," he said. It is known that out of the three pairs of candidates in the 2024 Presidential Election, there are four contestants who still hold public positions."

In Candidate number 1, Vice President Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin) is known  to still serve as the Deputy Speaker of the DPR. Meanwhile, in the camp of Candidate number 2, the pair of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka each still serve as the Minister of Defense and Mayor of Surakarta.