Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra hug at temple, set off election buzz in Maharashtra (WATCH)

NCP (SP) leader and Baramati Member of Parliament Supriya Sule, and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, possible rivals in the coming Lok Sabha elections 2024, on Friday (March 8) met and hugged each other at a temple in Baramati tehsil.

Amid speculations that NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader and Baramati SP Supriya Sule would be facing her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, a video of the two meeting at a temple in the region and hugging each other has emerged.  Sunetra Pawar is the wife of Supriya Sule's cousin and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

In the video, the women are seen smiling and extending their hands before giving each other hugs at the Kamleshwar temple in the the village of Jalochi, Baramati. After praying at the shrine, Sunetra Pawar made a statement later in which she stated she met "Supriya tai (elder sister in Marathi)" there, according to news agency PTI.

In the announcement, Sunetra Pawar said, "We both exchanged greetings on the occasion of Maha Shivratri and Women's Day."

Since last month, there have been many rumors that Sule, the daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, may face off against Sunetra Pawar of Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections, led by Ajit Pawar.

Ajit Pawar's suggestion to field his wife against his cousin sparked the discussion. He made an emotional appeal to Baramati voters to choose a "first timer" who would strive for the "welfare of your future generations," even though he withheld the candidate's identity.

The speculation intensified after a vehicle with posters of the Pawar couple was seen moving around in Baramati. Supriya Sule has served the Baramati seat in Maharashtra three times in a row from 2009. It is regarded as Sharad Pawar's stronghold. In the Lok Sabha elections held in 1984, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2004, her father became victorious. Additionally, he repeatedly prevailed in the constituency's Maharashtra Assembly elections.