Davanagere: Leaders aspiring for the ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming by-election in the Davanagere South Assembly constituency held a joint press conference and displayed unity on Sunday.

The aspirants — Yashwanth Rao Jadhav, B. G. Ajay Kumar, Srinivas Dasakariyappa, Devaramani Shivakumar and Rajanahalli Shivakumar — said they would work together for the party’s victory irrespective of who receives the ticket.

Speaking to reporters on March 15 in Davanagere, the leaders said their priority is to ensure the BJP wins the Davanagere South seat. They added that whoever is chosen as the party candidate will receive full support from all aspirants.

The leaders also said there are no factions within the party and that minor differences that existed earlier have been resolved. According to them, both party leaders and aspirants are now united and the same unity will continue in the future as well.

They said all aspirants had attended a BJP core committee meeting held earlier in Bengaluru, where party leaders asked them to forget past differences and work together for the party.

The aspirants said they will respect the decision of the party leadership regarding ticket distribution and will work together for victory in the by-election.

They also noted that H. C. Jayamma, state vice-president of the BJP, and farmer leader B. M. Satish are also among the aspirants and have expressed their support for party unity.

The name of G. B. Vinay Kumar, state president of the Swabhimani group, has also been discussed in connection with the by-election. The aspirants said he is not their rival and that everyone will work together for the party’s victory.

They added that the party teaches the principle of “nation first, party next and individual last,” and said their final goal is to ensure a BJP victory in Davanagere South.