Devi Asmarani – As the early vote counts began to pour in last Monday, President Megawati Sukarnoputri slipped away from guests at her private residence in the South Jakarta suburb of Kebagusan. Saying she was unwell, she retired to her room – presumably to watch in private the rising fortunes of rival Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Her husband Taufik Kiemas looked tense as he juggled two mobile phones that never ceased ringing. Their youngest daughter Puan Maharani was left to play host to the guests. One guest told The Sunday Times: "It just got too tense in there, I had to leave."

As Mr Bambang headed for a landslide win in the presidential run-off, the woman who became an icon of the people's struggle only five years ago appeared to have suffered a blow.

But Ms Megawati had weathered storms before. The daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno was ousted as chief of her Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) party in 1996.

Three years later, she was betrayed by erstwhile friend Abdurrahman Wahid in a fight for the presidency. She had won the most votes but Mr Abdurrahman became leader because of backroom dealing. But she got her own back by succeeding the impeached Abdurrahman in 2001.

In moments of crisis, Ms Megawati has huddled with her family. "The family has gone through a lot especially under the Suharto regime, when they were bullied," said a source close to the family. "To them the latest loss just shows that life is a roller coaster."

The President spent her post-poll days at her sprawling home about 25km away from her office, receiving party executives and outgoing Cabinet ministers, and playing with her grandkids. Although she has yet to concede defeat publicly, sources said she is prepared to make an exit.

And if it were up to her, life after politics would probably revolve around gardening. "Before she became president she told me she wanted to be the director of the Bogor Botanical Garden," said a close family friend, referring to the famous park in West Java.

But her politician-husband Taufik may not approve of such wishful thinking. In 1986, it was he who egged her on to enter politics despite disapproval from the Sukarno family which had vowed to shun politics. Her defeat last week hit him the hardest.

Party insiders said he will persuade her to hold on to her post as the chairman of PDI-P. A party executive said: "He is really stressed because he is being accused of causing her to lose."

Mr Taufik has been avoiding the public eye since Monday. He did not show up for his wife's speech before the National Assembly where he is a member. But he is not likely to quit politics. PDI-P senior executive Sabam Sirait said: "Taufik has been in politics since his university days. He'll never leave politics."

Some wonder whether his hopes now ride on his daughter, Puan. The 31-year-old mother of two is Ms Megawati's only child with him. Ms Puan is said to be closer to her mother than her two half-brothers. She was visible by her mother's side during the campaign. Like her mother who entered politics at the age of 40, she is a housewife with virtually no prior political experience.

Her two half-brothers, whose pilot father Surindro Suprijarso died in a plane accident in 1971, are fiercely private, making her the likely Sukarno torch-bearer.