While the USA imposes visa restrictions on other countries e.g. Uganda, Nigeria, and Somalia over post-election irregularities, it has announced a visa policy for Bangladesh seven months before the upcoming national election sensing another vote-rigging plan by the incumbent Awami League regime, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said.

This is a shame for the country, which the present government has brought in, he added while addressing a discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity Auditorium on Wednesday, organised by the newly founded political party Gono Odhikar Parishad.

Speaking at the event, leaders of various political parties, former diplomats, university teachers, and civil society members echoed similar sentiments, alleging that the government aims to conduct another election of "vote stealing", similar to those in 2014 and 2018. They believed that the US had introduced the visa policy in response to this situation.