Bengaluru/New Delhi: The Congress leadership is eyeing a change of power in Karnataka amid indications that CM Siddaramaiah has been offered a respectable rehabilitation, possibly including a Rajya Sabha seat, as part of a smooth leadership transition in the state.On a day when Siddaramaiah and his deputy and contender for his post DK Shivakumar met the Congress leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and state in-charge Randeep Surjewala for six hours, Rahul is understood to have asked Siddaramaiah during the one-on-one meeting to consider playing a national role in the party. They have been asked to reply within a week.Venugopal – speaking to reporters along with the CM and Deputy CM – dismissed talk of discussions about leadership change as “speculation”, and said the meetings were limited to the upcoming RS and Legislative Council elections. Party insiders said Siddaramaiah told Rahul that he had no ambition to enter national politics, but Rahul insisted that he wanted experienced OBC leaders in his team to strengthen the Congress nationally. Rahul had so far resisted the idea of ​​replacing Siddaramaiah, even as others among top party leaders believed a change of leadership could help the Congress.Also read: Congress says no tussle between Siddaramaiah, DKS for Karnataka CM postParty insiders said Siddaramaiah sought time to consult his loyalists before taking the decision. During the discussion, he is understood to have indicated that he would rather step down than face Rahul, who had supported him for the CM post twice in his career despite being seen as an outsider within the Congress. Rahul’s rethink marks the moment Shivakumar had been waiting for for the last six months. He had always said that he was promised a rotational tenure at the time of formation of the government. When Congress won the state elections in 2023 by defeating BJP, Shivakumar was the party chief.Sources said there were discussions in Siddaramaiah’s camp on whether he should register his protest by refusing to resign or by quitting the post and rejecting any national role.If Siddaramaiah agrees to move to the Rajya Sabha, it could lead to a change in the post of Leader of the Opposition, which is currently held by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Rahul’s team also discussed giving place to Sidda’s son in the cabinet. The Congress president is due to get another Rajya Sabha term next month, and many consider Siddaramaiah a strong possibility as leader of the opposition to help the Congress with the OBC votebase.According to sources, Rahul’s team also discussed a possible cabinet berth for Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra as part of the talks.The possibility of shifting the 77-year-old leader to the Rajya Sabha has gained momentum ahead of the elections for four Upper House seats from Karnataka in June. Congress is confident of winning at least three seats.It remains to be seen whether the CM tacitly agrees to Shivakumar replacing him or puts up resistance which could open the way for a third candidate as a compromise. The Siddaramaiah camp said he was still the overwhelming choice of the legislature party and submitted a list of 108 signatures to underline his superiority.After the AICC deliberations, Siddaramaiah met loyal ministers and MLAs at the Delhi residence of his senior minister KG George. He is expected to hold another round of consultations in Bengaluru on Wednesday before deciding his future course of action.Also read: Karnataka ministers and candidates confused after talks in DelhiA senior leader pointed out that a “cabinet reshuffle” in the state, as demanded by Siddaramaiah, was not discussed in AICC meetings – indicating that the CM’s retention was not guaranteed.Party insiders said that the Congress leadership wanted to avoid a “Rajasthan-like crisis”, and hence, preferred a negotiated change rather than a tense resolution.Congress insiders have recently argued that any change will happen only with Siddaramaiah’s consent, as the party takes into account his seniority as well as the fact that he is a senior OBC leader whose social engineering gives political leverage to the party. A senior state leader said the party would have to consider the possible consequences of ousting Siddaramaiah, whose Kuruba community has a statewide presence and has the potential to damage the Congress.