Manama, Sep 22 (IANS): Bahrain's national elections will be held in early November, Minister of State for Information Affairs Sameera Rajab said.

An exact date for the parliamentary and municipal council elections, which will be held after public holidays such as the Islamic New Year and Ashoora, will be announced soon, Gulf Daily News reported Monday.

Under the constitution, the polls have to be held before Dec 15 unless King Hamad extends the term of current members of parliament by two years, the statement said.

"We don't want things to get mixed, especially with upcoming occasions like Ashoora which starts at the end of next month," Rajab was quoted as saying in a press conference following Sunday's weekly cabinet session.

The Bahraini parliament comprises the Council of Representatives (the lower house) and the Consultative Shura Council(the upper house).

The lower house has 40 elected members and the upper house has 40 royally-appointed members.

Bahrain is home to around 290,000 expatriate Indians.