In a major development, Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Mustafa Kamal has decided to back out of the electoral race in favour of Shehbaz Sharif.

Kamal has decided to withdraw his candidacy from NA-242, traditionally considered a party stronghold.

Reports of an agreement between Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and MQM have been doing rounds, but no concrete developments have taken place thus far.

In November, an MQM delegation including Kamal had called on Nawaz Sharif in Lahore where the two parties had announced they would jointly contest elections.

Kamal had said at the time that Nawaz is now the most senior politician in South Asia and has experience in running a government that no one else does.

However, it had later emerged that detailed consensus on seat adjustment had not been achieved in the meeting.