The Election Commission registered 24 political parties, and public meetings attracted many large crowds. On the eve of the elections, a cyclone struck East Pakistan killing approximately 500,000 people, though this event did not deter people from participating in the first ever general election. Mobilizing support for their Six Points manifesto the Awami League secured electoral support in East Pakistan. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party asserted itself even more. Its socialist rationale, "roti kapda aur makaan" (food, cloth, and shelter) and the party's socialist manifesto quickly popularised the party. The conservative PML, led by Nurul Amin, raised religious and nationalist slogans all over the country.