TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan (劉和然) said Monday that he hopes to meet fellow Kuomintang contender and Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) before the Lunar New Year to discuss the party’s New Taipei mayoral nomination.

In an interview with political commentator Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚), Liu said senior KMT officials want the two to meet before the end of January and finalize the nominee ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, per ETtoday. He added that the KMT New Taipei Chapter has taken into account scheduling constraints involving the Taipei City Council and Nvidia when arranging the timeline.

Asked whether he could accept making a decision before Feb. 17, Liu said the deadline had been set for several weeks but emphasized the need to first meet Lee to determine the criteria for selecting the nominee. He also noted that both he and Lee come from civil service backgrounds, giving them perspectives different from those of typical elected officials.

Lee previously dismissed the existence of a KMT timetable for integrating party candidates, per Newtalk. Speaking Saturday, he said his top priority at present is the Nvidia project.

Lee’s focus could prove politically risky, as Democratic Progressive Party New Taipei mayoral candidate Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) has reportedly been narrowing his lead in recent polling. KMT Taipei City Councilor Li Ming-hsien (李明賢) said Su has closed the gap with Lee to single digits in the latest surveys, per China Times.

While acknowledging Lee’s efforts to conclude the Nvidia deal, Li warned that campaigning across New Taipei’s many boroughs would require three to four months. He added that although many KMT councilors are willing to reserve their support for Lee, some are beginning to feel pressure from Liu’s campaign.

DPP New Taipei City Councilor Mai Yamada said Liu’s polling numbers have improved as he has accompanied New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) at public events, per FTV. She said Liu has surpassed Taiwan People’s Party Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) in some polls and is closing in on Lee.

Responding to Mai’s comments, Liu said polls are not everything. He added that borough chiefs have told him voters prefer a candidate familiar with city governance to minimize any transition period.

Huang also commented on the developments, saying that if the KMT ultimately nominates Liu, he would be willing to compete against him for the opposition’s joint nomination, per Liberty Times.