Azamgarh, Apr 18 (IANS): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday filed his nomination papers from Azamgarh.

Akhilesh Yadav, who arrived here in the morning, reached the Collectorate Office at around 1.15 p.m. and then held a massive five-kilometre-long road show.

Traffic in the eastern Uttar Pradesh town came to a standstill as party workers thronged the streets.

Thousands of supporters carried placards of the SP chief and raised slogans like 'Kaam bolta hai'. They also raised slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During his road show from the Collectorate Office to Bhatauli chauraha here, Akhilesh Yadav waved at the crowd and shook hands with many of the party supporters.

He will later address a public meeting here .

In 2014, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav had won the seat.

The SP, which won five of the 80 seats from the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is contesting in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

The SP is contesting on 37 seats, the BSP on 38 and the RLD on three seats. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance has left the two seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli for the Congress.

The seven-phased elections in the state are scheduled from April 11 to May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.