Kathmandu, May 5 -- The floor test of Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Dirgha Bahadur Sodari was postponed at the last moment on Saturday after the major coalition partner CPN-UML sought more time to decide on the issue.

Sodari, a leader of CPN (Unified Socialist), was appointed chief minister of the province on April 18 despite his bitter relations with the UML's local politicians. The Unified Socialist was born out of a factional dispute in the UML, with former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal forming the new party in 2021.

The UML was compelled to accept Sodari as the chief minister, and the party is now buying time before a vote of trust. This makes Sodari's position shaky.

At the chief minister's request, the pr...