RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Tues day, Dec. 8—An East Pakistani party advocating autonomy for that province and a West Pakistani party promising a redistribution of national wealth along Marxist lines took leads early today in the country's first direct nationwide election in 23 years of independence.

The provisional results for members of a national assembly to draft a new constitution propelled the two parties into the forefront of the drive to draft the charter and return Pakistan, now under martial law, to representative civilian rule for the first time since 1958.

Except for some scattered clashed in which at least one man died, yesterday's election, with 50 million Pakistanis participating, proceeded calmly, ac cording to initial accounts.

The voting by paper ballots in 29,000 polling stations in the East and West wings, separated by 1,000 miles of India's territory, slowed the counting. But early this morning it appeared that the Pakistan People's party of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former Foreign Minister under former President Mohammad Ayub Khan, had made an unexpectedly strong showing in West Pakistan.

China Termed an Example

The People's party, which held up Communist China as an example of effective development — although Mr. Bhutto has some wealthy capitalist backers — won three seats and was leading in 80 others out of the 300 up for election.

Doing even better, as expected, was the Awami League, the party led by Sheik Mujibur Rahman, which rallied the East Pakistanis — or Bengalis as they prefer to be known — behind the demand for an autonomous East Pakistan.

Sheik Mujib, like Mr. Bhutto, won at least one of the seats, he was contesting personally, and his party was leading in 111 others.

Behind the two leading par ties trailed a moderate slate that had been expected to rank second and several conservative religion‐oriented Moslem parties.

President's Hand Marked

Among the mid-morning voters in this interim national capital, in West Pakistan, was Gen. Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan, the commander of the army who assumed the presidency in March 1969, after the overthrow of President Mohammad Ayub Khan.

President Yahya allowed his hand to be marked with indelible ink, identifying him as a voter, and went behind a flowered curtain to place a stamp over one party symbol.

Unlike his predecessor, President Yahya does not head a political party. This means that the Government is not directly involved in the voting, an unusual development.

Dacca, East Pakistan, was quiet today, a fact that surprised many foreign and Pakistani observers who had expected at least some minor out bursts in the volatile city. Troops were deployed there to maintain order but were not very evident except in a few usually explosive districts. With virtually all observers predicting an impressive victory for Sheik Mujibur — his is the only slate contesting all 162 seats in East Pakistan—the future of the 313 seats in the national assembly appeared to hinge on who would come forward to share power with him or challenge him.

The number of candidates from these and 20 other parties, plus independents, totaled more than 1,500. Thirteen of the assembly's seats — seven in the East, six in the West — were set aside for women to be elected by the 300 directly elected members.

The number of seats to be filled today was further reduced to 290 by postponement of voting in nine districts in East Pakistan devastated by the cyclone and tidal wave and by an uncontested race in another district.

On President Yahya's order, the assembly will have 120 days from the time it convenes, probably in January, in nearby Islamabad, the capital under construction, to agree on a constitution to replace the charter that General Yahya revoked when he seized power.

The general also ordered that the constitution preserve the “integrity” of Pakistan—meaning it cannot go too far in granting autonomy to the East. How far is too far is a judgment that President Yahya has reserved for himself. He has said he will veto any charter unacceptable under his guidelines.

If the delegates fail to agree on a constitution in the allotted four months, a new election will probably have to be called. If they draft a constitution acceptable to the President, they will be transformed into a national assembly.

The constitution would be the third since independence. The first, in 1956, was promulgated by a parliament of provincial assemblymen but was abrogated by Field Marshal Ayub when he seized power in 1958.

The second was promulgated by President Ayub himself in 1962 and concentrated supreme power in his hands. That charter was abrogated by President Yahya.