Speculation has been rife that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's second daughter Nurul Nuha will contest in her father’s stronghold, Permatang Pauh in Penang.

Following his conviction and imprisonment, the parliamentary seat is to be declared vacant and a by-election would be held.

However, Nurul Nuha, in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini , downplayed the speculation.

"It is premature to talk about that right now, I'll leave it at that," she said. "To my knowledge, no such discussion has taken place."

Following, Anwar's conviction last Tuesday, talk surfaced of how he wanted Nurul Nuha to lead the charge in Permatang Pauh.

The speculation intensified when the 30-year-old mother of two launched herself into the limelight with the "March 2 Freedom" campaign to secure the release of her father.

During his first conviction in 1999, Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the couple’s eldest daughter Nurul Izzah were ushered into the frontline.

Wan Azizah, who is PKR president, contested the Permatang Pauh seat and was its incumbent until 2008.

She then resigned to allow Anwar to contest in the by-election, leading him to return to Parliament afer nearly a decade-long absence.

Nurul Izzah is now PKR vice-president and the MP for Lembah Pantai.

Critics have always accused Anwar of practicing nepotism and the attacks are bound to increase should Nurul Nuha be named as the candidate.

Apart from this, should Nurul Nuha contest instead of her mother, it also creates a problem as to who would replace Anwar as opposition leader.

Previously, Malaysiakini reported that DAP has set its sights on the post but is willing to back down if Wan Azizah is appointed.

However, it is the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council that would make the final decision on the candidate for the by-election.

Anwar won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in his electoral debut in 1982 after joining Umno and held it until 1999. He then reclaimed it in the 2008 by-election.

In the last general election in 2013, Anwar garnered 37,090 votes to defeat Umno's Mazlan Ismail who received 25,369 votes. Independent candidate Abdullah Zawawi Samsudin got 201 votes.