In Bangladeshi politics, the term Battle of Begums (Bengali: বেগমদের যুদ্ধ) refers to the political rivalry between Sheikh Hasina Wazed of Awami League and her counterpart Khaleda Zia of the Nationalist Party.[1][2][3][4]
The political rivalry between Awami League and Nationalist Party dates back to pre-independence Bangladesh where the issue regarding whom proclaimed Independence of Bangladesh, according to many sources it was Mujibur Rehman[5][6] the father of Sheikh Hasina whom proclaimed Bangladeshi independence but to some it was Ziaur Rehman[7] who was the husband of Khaleda Zia. Regarding these disputes for over decades there have been rivalries between both of them which have resulted in widespread national violence.[3]
Over the years, the use of the term has declined as Sheikh Hasina has been in power since 2009 and while Khaleda has been under arrests for a long time as a result many people believe that Hasina is the sole-winner of these political rivalries.[3][8]
