diff --git a/lib/bdev/virtio/bdev_virtio.c b/lib/bdev/virtio/bdev_virtio.c
index dba028a4f4..c6935b3745 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/virtio/bdev_virtio.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/virtio/bdev_virtio.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 
 #define BDEV_VIRTIO_MAX_TARGET 64
 #define BDEV_VIRTIO_SCAN_PAYLOAD_SIZE 256
-#define CTRLQ_POLL_PERIOD_US (1000 * 5)
+#define MGMT_POLL_PERIOD_US (1000 * 5)
 #define CTRLQ_RING_SIZE 16
 #define SCAN_REQUEST_RETRIES 5
 
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ struct virtio_scsi_dev {
 	/** Context for the SCSI target scan. */
 	struct virtio_scsi_scan_base	*scan_ctx;
 
+	/** Controlq poller. */
+	struct spdk_poller		*mgmt_poller;
+
+	/** Controlq messages to be sent. */
+	struct spdk_ring		*ctrlq_ring;
+
 	/** Device marked for removal. */
 	bool removed;
 };
@@ -139,6 +145,9 @@ struct bdev_virtio_io_channel {
 
 	/** Virtqueue exclusively assigned to this channel. */
 	struct virtqueue	*vq;
+
+	/** Virtio response poller. */
+	struct spdk_poller	*poller;
 };
 
 /** Module finish in progress */
@@ -155,7 +164,6 @@ static int
 virtio_scsi_dev_init(struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev)
 {
 	struct virtio_dev *vdev = &svdev->vdev;
-	struct virtqueue *ctrlq;
 	struct spdk_ring *ctrlq_ring;
 	int rc;
 
@@ -178,9 +186,9 @@ virtio_scsi_dev_init(struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	ctrlq = vdev->vqs[VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ];
-	ctrlq->poller_ctx = ctrlq_ring;
-	ctrlq->poller = spdk_poller_register(bdev_virtio_ctrlq_poll, vdev, CTRLQ_POLL_PERIOD_US);
+	svdev->ctrlq_ring = ctrlq_ring;
+	svdev->mgmt_poller = spdk_poller_register(bdev_virtio_ctrlq_poll, svdev,
+			     MGMT_POLL_PERIOD_US);
 
 	TAILQ_INIT(&svdev->luns);
 	svdev->scan_ctx = NULL;
@@ -396,14 +404,13 @@ bdev_virtio_reset(struct spdk_io_channel *ch, struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io)
 	struct bdev_virtio_io_channel *virtio_ch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(ch);
 	struct virtio_scsi_io_ctx *io_ctx = bdev_virtio_init_tmf_vreq(ch, bdev_io);
 	struct virtio_scsi_ctrl_tmf_req *tmf_req = &io_ctx->tmf_req;
-	struct virtio_dev *vdev = &virtio_ch->svdev->vdev;
-	struct spdk_ring *ctrlq_send_ring = vdev->vqs[VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ]->poller_ctx;
+	struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev = virtio_ch->svdev;
 	size_t enqueued_count;
 
 	tmf_req->type = VIRTIO_SCSI_T_TMF;
 	tmf_req->subtype = VIRTIO_SCSI_T_TMF_LOGICAL_UNIT_RESET;
 
-	enqueued_count = spdk_ring_enqueue(ctrlq_send_ring, (void **)&bdev_io, 1);
+	enqueued_count = spdk_ring_enqueue(svdev->ctrlq_ring, (void **)&bdev_io, 1);
 	if (spdk_likely(enqueued_count == 1)) {
 		return;
 	} else {
@@ -691,9 +698,10 @@ bdev_virtio_send_tmf_io(struct virtqueue *ctrlq, struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io)
 static void
 bdev_virtio_ctrlq_poll(void *arg)
 {
-	struct virtio_dev *vdev = arg;
+	struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev = arg;
+	struct virtio_dev *vdev = &svdev->vdev;
 	struct virtqueue *ctrlq = vdev->vqs[VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ];
-	struct spdk_ring *send_ring = ctrlq->poller_ctx;
+	struct spdk_ring *send_ring = svdev->ctrlq_ring;
 	struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io[16];
 	uint32_t io_len[16];
 	uint16_t i, cnt;
@@ -733,7 +741,7 @@ bdev_virtio_scsi_ch_create_cb(void *io_device, void *ctx_buf)
 	ch->svdev = svdev;
 	ch->vq = vq;
 
-	vq->poller = spdk_poller_register(bdev_virtio_poll, ch, 0);
+	ch->poller = spdk_poller_register(bdev_virtio_poll, ch, 0);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -741,12 +749,12 @@ bdev_virtio_scsi_ch_create_cb(void *io_device, void *ctx_buf)
 static void
 bdev_virtio_scsi_ch_destroy_cb(void *io_device, void *ctx_buf)
 {
-	struct bdev_virtio_io_channel *io_channel = ctx_buf;
-	struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev = io_channel->svdev;
+	struct bdev_virtio_io_channel *ch = ctx_buf;
+	struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev = ch->svdev;
 	struct virtio_dev *vdev = &svdev->vdev;
-	struct virtqueue *vq = io_channel->vq;
+	struct virtqueue *vq = ch->vq;
 
-	spdk_poller_unregister(&vq->poller);
+	spdk_poller_unregister(&ch->poller);
 	virtio_dev_release_queue(vdev, vq->vq_queue_index);
 }
 
@@ -1361,7 +1369,6 @@ virtio_scsi_dev_scan(struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev, bdev_virtio_create_cb cb_fn,
 	TAILQ_INIT(&base->found_disks);
 
 	base->channel = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(io_ch);
-
 	svdev->scan_ctx = base;
 	rc = _virtio_scsi_dev_scan_next(base);
 	if (rc) {
@@ -1437,8 +1444,6 @@ virtio_scsi_dev_unregister_cb(void *io_device)
 {
 	struct virtio_scsi_dev *svdev = io_device;
 	struct virtio_dev *vdev = &svdev->vdev;
-	struct virtqueue *vq;
-	struct spdk_ring *send_ring;
 	struct spdk_thread *thread;
 	bool finish_module;
 
@@ -1448,16 +1453,12 @@ virtio_scsi_dev_unregister_cb(void *io_device)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (virtio_dev_queue_is_acquired(vdev, VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ)) {
-		vq = vdev->vqs[VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ];
-		spdk_poller_unregister(&vq->poller);
-		send_ring = vq->poller_ctx;
-		/* bdevs built on top of this vdev mustn't be destroyed with outstanding I/O. */
-		assert(spdk_ring_count(send_ring) == 0);
-		spdk_ring_free(send_ring);
-		vq->poller_ctx = NULL;
-		virtio_dev_release_queue(vdev, VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ);
-	}
+	/* bdevs built on top of this vdev mustn't be destroyed with outstanding I/O. */
+	assert(spdk_ring_count(svdev->ctrlq_ring) == 0);
+	spdk_ring_free(svdev->ctrlq_ring);
+	spdk_poller_unregister(&svdev->mgmt_poller);
+
+	virtio_dev_release_queue(vdev, VIRTIO_SCSI_CONTROLQ);
 
 	virtio_dev_stop(vdev);
 	virtio_dev_destruct(vdev);
diff --git a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.c b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.c
index 2426ad1c37..c4936fcdd4 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.c
@@ -219,7 +219,6 @@ virtio_init_queue(struct virtio_dev *dev, uint16_t vtpci_queue_idx)
 	virtio_init_vring(vq);
 
 	vq->owner_thread = NULL;
-	vq->poller = NULL;
 
 	if (virtio_dev_backend_ops(dev)->setup_queue(dev, vq) < 0) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("setup_queue failed\n");
@@ -583,7 +582,6 @@ virtio_dev_acquire_queue(struct virtio_dev *vdev, uint16_t index)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	assert(vq->poller == NULL);
 	vq->owner_thread = spdk_get_thread();
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&vdev->mutex);
 	return 0;
@@ -609,7 +607,6 @@ virtio_dev_find_and_acquire_queue(struct virtio_dev *vdev, uint16_t start_index)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	assert(vq->poller == NULL);
 	vq->owner_thread = spdk_get_thread();
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&vdev->mutex);
 	return i;
@@ -662,7 +659,6 @@ virtio_dev_release_queue(struct virtio_dev *vdev, uint16_t index)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	assert(vq->poller == NULL);
 	assert(vq->owner_thread == spdk_get_thread());
 	vq->owner_thread = NULL;
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&vdev->mutex);
diff --git a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.h b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.h
index 86734ee6ca..598ba180c4 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.h
+++ b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio.h
@@ -163,12 +163,6 @@ struct virtqueue {
 	/** Thread that's polling this queue. */
 	struct spdk_thread *owner_thread;
 
-	/** Response poller. */
-	struct spdk_poller	*poller;
-
-	/** Context for response poller. */
-	void *poller_ctx;
-
 	uint16_t req_start;
 	uint16_t req_end;