Shiv Sena member of legislative council (MLC) Manisha Kayande on Saturday said that when one talks of Maharashtra's chief minister, only one person comes to mind and that is Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.

Addressing a party event here, Kayande said the Mahayuti government returned to power last year only because of two factors " the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, the flagship scheme of the earlier government, and the then CM Shinde. Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, eligible women receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500.

The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP swept last year's assembly polls, winning 230 of the state's 288 seats. BJP's Devendra Fadnavis, who was Shinde's deputy earlier, became the CM. "Wherever one goes in Maharashtra, whenever there is a discussion about the CM, only one face comes to mind, and that is Eknath Shinde. He has left such an impression," she said.