According to Derek O'Brien, Rajya Sabha MP and party spokesperson, the party has always been a responsible ally of the UPA."We are voting for two reasons for Pranab Mukherjee, one is that we are a responsible, principled and dependable ally of the UPA,' said Derek O'Brien.

"Mamata-di has this happy intuition of getting things right. As the Chairperson of the party she has got it right this time too(in supporting the UPA),' he added.

Banerjee earlier had refused to support Mukherjee, UPA's candidate for the President, and had publicly displayed her displeasure on his nomination. Trinamool Congress leaders including O'Brien had publicly criticised Mukherjee while he was seeking support from legislators in the presidential poll.

However, when asked if the sudden change in stance would prove to be a political blunder, O'Brien said, "I strongly disagree with that. Its not a U-turn. We are absolutely cruising along in Bengal. There is so much of great work."

More on Firstpost.com