In the Golkar party

Gatot joined the party in 1992 and became the head of youth affairs in the party's branch in Surabaya. Eight years later, he rose through the ranks and became the chairman of the party's branch in Surabaya. Gatot later became the secretary of the party in East Java from 2000 until 2004 and the deputy chairman from 2004 until 2015.^[2] Gatot also served as the Chairman of the East Java Familial Consultative Organization of Mutual Assistance — an organization which was affiliated to Golkar — from 2011 until 2016.^[3]

Parliamentary career

Gatot held his first office as a member of a council when he was elected to the East Java Regional People's Representative Council in the 1997 Indonesian legislative election.^[4] His term was supposed to end in 2002, but political reformations in Indonesia shortened it into a two-year term which ended in 1999.^[2] Gatot then ran as a candidate for the Surabaya Regional People's Representative Council in the 1999 Indonesian legislative election and won a seat in the elections. Gatot was inaugurated on 24 August 1999 and held the seat for five years.^[2]

In the 2004 Indonesian legislative election, Gatot ran again for the East Java Regional People's Representative Council from the East Java 7 electoral district.^[5] He won the elections and was subsequently elected for a second term.^[6] Gatot then ran for a national office as a member of the People's Representative Council in the 2014 Indonesian legislative election.^[7] He secured a seat in the council and was re-elected in 2019.^[1] During his tenure in the People's Representative Council, Gatot Sudjito was seated in the Commission V.^[8][7]