INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could have lost some ground in his re-election bid because the wives of a rival ticket are wearing Islamic headgear, thus attracting the votes of conservative Muslims.

A leader of the Muslim- based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), one of 23 parties supporting Mr Yudhoyono, expressed concern over the perceived rising electability of Golkar Party leader Jusuf Kalla and running mate Wiranto of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).

"Our internal party survey shows the popularity of the Kalla-Wiranto duet has been increasing due to their wives wearing the jilbab," PKS deputy secretary-general Zulkieflimansyah said on Monday, referring to the headscarf many Muslims believe is mandatory for women.

Mr Kalla's wife, Madam Mufidah, and Mr Wiranto's wife, Madam Rugaya, have always appeared in public wearing headscarves, unlike First Lady Kristiani Herawati and Madam Herawati, wife of Mr Yudhoyono's running mate, central-bank governor Boediono.

The presidential election for the overwhelmingly Muslim nation will be held on July 8.

Director of the Indo Barometer survey institute, Mr Muhammad Qodari, acknowledged the Kalla-Wiranto pairing appealed more to Muslim voters than other teams.

"Symbolically, the jilbab is visually very attractive for conventional Muslim women. The clothes will do all the talking, without Kalla and Wiranto needing to utter a single word," he said.

Still, a new survey released yesterday showed the Yudhoyono-Boediono team holding a massive lead over the others.

The poll put the Yudhoyono-Boediono pairing in the lead with the support of 67.1 per cent of respondents.

The team of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and former general Prabowo was second with 11.8 per cent while the Kalla-Wiranto team trailed with 6.4 per cent.

The poll by the National Survey Institute was conducted between May 15 and 21.