KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec. 8 —Sheik Mujibur Rahman, political leader of the East Pakistani autonomy movement, to night appeared close to winning a majority in the national assembly that will draft Pakistan's first democratically prepared constitution.

In nationwide balloting yesterday—the first universal direct vote in the country's 23 year history—the Pakistanis also elected an unexpectedly strong minority bloc that calls itself Marxist, the Pakistan People's party, based in the country's West wing.

The two delegate blocs come from areas separated by 1,000 miles of India's territory. The areas have little in common except their Moslem faith but their historic rivalries will have to be laid aside if they are to agree on a national charter to return Pakistan to civilian rule for the first time since 1958.

In Strong Position

Since East Pakistan accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the divided nation's population of 130 million, its representatives would be in a strong position after the ratification of a democratic constitution to name a Prime Minister, presumably Sheik Mujib.

It remains to be seen whether the Bengali leader will soften somewhat his demands for autonomy in the constitutional assembly now that leadership over the national Government appears to be within his grasp. But to gain power he would have to arrive at some kind of understanding with the armed forces.

There are few Easterners. In the higher echelons of the armed forces and, as a result, East Pakistan has never had a strong voice in the military dominated regimes of the last 12 years.

Winning by Big Margin

There are 300 directly elected seats, of which 162 are in East, Pakistan. So far the Awami League has carried all but two of the 130 seats decided in the East and it appeared likely to capture 23 more seats there. That would bring the Sheik close to 160 seats in the 313 member assembly—more than even his keenest supporters had dared to predict.

Voting was postponed in nine constituencies devastated in the East Pakistani cyclone last month. Seven women delegates are still to be selected from the region; they are among the 13 women for whom seats were set aside, to be filled by the elected members.

The nation congratulated it self today on the peaceful and efficient voting, although the Government suffered some minor embarrassment when it was disclosed that ‘the “indelible” ink used to mark the fingers of voters to prevent fraud could easily be rubbed off.

Nonetheless the election was widely considered a personal triumph for President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan, the nonpartisan commanding general of the army, who promised elections and return to civilian rule after he took power from the former President, Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, resigned in March, 1969.

“I have fulfilled a pledge to the nation,” President Yahya said as he went to cast his own vote. The gratitude ad dressed by many political leaders toward the President for insuring what appeared to be a fair election is considered likely to lead to a movement to keep General Yahya as President after the assembly drafts a constitution.

That, however, depends on how the deliberations proceed and whether the President accepts the document in the end — a decision he has reserved for himself. If he does, the assembly would be transformed into a representative national assembly.

Commission Supervised Election

An impartial election commission of jurists and other respected officials supervised the setting up of the 29,000 polling stations and the means of counting and authenticating the pa per ballots—up to 50 million were expected.

The careful organization was evident in the speed with which the results were communicated by telephone and telegraph from remote regions to commission headquarters in Islamabad although some totals from the most inaccessible areas are not expected to be available for some days yet.

The public was given the accumulating results in round‐the clock radio and television broadcasts from a central election studio resembling those of United States networks on election night. However there were no computerized vote projections.

Surprise in the West

While a strong electoral showing had been expected of Sheik's Awami League — minor parties in the East pulled out of the campaign last month rather than be swamped at the polls — the victory of the Pakistan People's party in the West was a major surprise.

With about 100 seats decided in the West by nighttime, the party had won 81.

Adding to the party's luster was the fact that the head of the ticket, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a minister for eight years under President Ayub, won 5 of the 6 scattered constituencies that he contested.

The success of the Pakistan People's party, whose election symbol was a scimitar, appeared traceable to its appeal for a redistribution of wealth along Marxist lines. Its leader, Mr. Bhutto, is a wealthy land owner in Sindh Province who lives in an opulent style, despite his radical pronouncements.

In a pre‐election statement drawn up for the English language newspaper Dawn, Mr. Bhutto said: “The struggle in Pakistan is not between Moslem and Moslem but between the exploiters and the exploited, between the oppressors and the oppressed.”

If his party won. Mr. Bhutto pledged, “heavy industries will be owned by the people. State land will be given to landless peasants. Cooperative farms will he introduced on a volunteer basis.”

He called his program “Islamic Socialism” and asserted that “only this kind of economic structure can provide equal opportunities for all.”