Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule on Sunday said that an “invisible power from Delhi” was trying to create a rift within her family and Maharashtra politics, The Indian Express reported.

Sule, the daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, made the statement while speaking to reporters amid speculation that Sunetra Pawar, her sister-in-law, or Sunetra’s son, Parth Pawar could contest the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections, according to the newspaper.

Sule is the sitting MP from Baramati, a stronghold of the NCP.

Discontent within the Pawar family has been in the news for months now since Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar’s husband, along with several rebel MLAs of the party, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena coalition government in Maharashtra in July. He was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of the state along with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis.

There have been speculation about even Sharad Pawar allying with the BJP, even as the party patriarch has denied any such prospect.

On Sunday, Sule told reporters that she did not know who would contest against her in Baramati.

“I have won from Baramati thrice and I welcome anyone who is going to contest against me for the fourth time,” The Indian Express quoted her as saying. “Instead of copying and passing the exam, it is better to pass on merit. ”You all know who is triggering such speculation.”