Tamenglong (Manipur), Feb 22 (IANS) The stage is set for the third and final stage of the staggered assembly polls in Manipur Friday with officials and security personnel reaching their destinations to conduct elections in 12 constituencies.

Voting in the three hill districts of Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Chandel that begins at 7.30 a.m. will decide the fate of 76 candidates.

"Everything is in place and we are all geared up for the last phase of the elections although this is going to be the toughest of the three phases," Manipur's Joint Chief Electoral Officer T. Ranjit Singh told IANS.

Election authorities have declared all the 516 polling stations in the three districts as 'sensitive' with myriad separatist groups operating in the region. Some 100 polling stations are located in inaccessible terrain and require treks of up to 30 km.

Nearly 370,000 voters would be able to exercise their franchise in Friday's vote.

Authorities have decided to airlift polling personnel and voting machines after the polls from some 100 polling centres.

"We have prepared 21 helipads to airlift polling personnel and voting machines after Friday's vote for security reasons," Singh said.

Polls for the 60-seat Manipur assembly were held in 19 constituencies in the first phase on Feb 8 and for 29 seats in the second phase on Feb 14.

An estimated 72 percent votes were cast in the first phase, while a record 85 percent polling took place in the second stage of the elections. Counting of votes begins Feb 27.

The battle lines are drawn with the ruling Congress party taking on regional challengers, the Manipur People's Party, with the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, dominating the agendas of all political parties.

The AFPSA, an anti-terror law that provides sweeping powers to the security forces deployed in the region, is the focal point in the electioneering - almost all the opposition parties have been demanding the repealing of the Act saying the 'draconian legislation' was a slur on democracy as it infringed on basic human rights of the people in Manipur.