Mumbai, May 4 (IANS): Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to Karnataka voters to utter the name of "Jai Bajrangbali", former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday urged the Marathi voters to invoke "Jai Bhavani" and "Jai Shivaji" while casting their votes.

Reacting to Modi's statements, the Shiv Sena-UBT President said that when his father and Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had sought votes in the name of Hindutva in 1987, his voting rights were taken away for six years in 1999 with effect from 1995 by the Election Commission.

"If the country's PM is promoting Hinduism, then the voting rules may have been changed now... The Marathi-speaking people of Karnataka should say 'Jai Bhavani', aJai Shivaji' and then vote for the candidates of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES)," Thackeray said.

He also frowned at the Congress for raising the issue of Bajrangbali in the elections and the Bharatiya Janata Party's strong reactions to it ahead of the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls.

The Sena-UBT chief said the need of the hour is unity among the people who believe that there should not be a dictatorship in the country.

"Its not about defeating an individual but vanquishing the attitude. Everyone should come forth unitedly to defeat the dictatorial attitude," declared Thackeray.