New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): Concerned with the expansion plan of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has directed state units to plan strategies to stop it from becoming principal opposition parties there by replacing Congress.

After its thumping victory in Punjab assembly polls, the AAP has now shifted its focus on the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly.

The AAP is also focusing on next year's assembly polls in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Apart from Karnataka where JD-S has a stake, the BJP is in direct fight with Congress in the remaining important states.

A senior party functionary said that all the state units especially the poll bound and where Arvind Kejriwal's party is planning to expand its footprint to the BJP state unit must not allow them to establish organisational base.

"State units have been directed to induct AAP leaders, holding organisational responsibility from district to state levels, who are interested to join BJP without any pre-condition," he said.

In April, BJP had delivered a big jolt to AAP's ambitious plan to expand the party in Himachal Pradesh by inducting its top state leadership in the party.

"In Gujarat, over 500 AAP leaders holding positions at different levels have joined BJP in recent times. In Uttarakhand, AAP chief ministerial candidate and others joined BJP. By inducting senior AAP in poll bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat or in Uttarakhand, the BJP have given a big blow to Kejriwal's plan to expand the party in a new state after historic victory in Punjab and we will continue to do it," a senior BJP leader said.

A party insider said that the state unit has been asked to adopt specific strategies based on local ground conditions.

"For example, AAP's freebies will be countered with the development model of each state under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. While the Himachal Pradesh government has countered AAP freebies by extending benefits of existing schemes, while in Gujarat or in Madhya Pradesh it will be downplayed with the development and welfare works of BJP government," he said.

A senior BJP functionary said that the party unit in the national capital, meanwhile, has been asked to intensify its attack against the failed Delhi model of Kejriwal. The Delhi BJP has launched a door to door 'poll khol' campaign against AAP government in the national capital.