Chief minister Hemant Soren with Hedayatullah Khan in Jamshedpur on Friday. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur, Oct. 17: Congress turncoat Hedayatullah Khan (53) joined JMM in the presence of chief minister Hemant Soren in Jamshedpur today, dropping hints that the ruling coalition partners in Jharkhand were gearing up for a friendly contest in the Assembly polls.

Sources said that Khan, who had joined JMM in early 2005 and holds considerable clout among minorities in Jamshedpur West, ditched Congress after “negotiations” were almost finalised for a JMM ticket from the Assembly seat.

“It is ghar vapasi (homecoming) for Khan. His presence will boost our party’s prospects in Assembly polls,” said Ramesh Hansdah, JMM’s East Singhbhum president.

The development is bound to have larger ramifications as Congress’s Banna Gupta, the new agriculture minister, is sitting Jamshedpur West MLA. “Bannaji has the moral right to contest from Jamshedpur West,” said Bijay Khan, Congress’s East Singhbhum president.

Chief minister refused to divulge much on seat-sharing between Congress and JMM.

“It is too early to say anything. Talks are on among leaders of both parties,” he said.