K. Karunakaran

K. Karunakaran
Union Minister for Industry[1][2]
In office 11 June 1995 – 16 May 1996
Prime Minister	P. V. Narasimha Rao
Preceded by	Ajit Singh
Succeeded by	Suresh Prabhu
5th Chief Minister of Kerala
In office 24 June 1991 – 16 March 1995
Preceded by	E. K. Nayanar
Succeeded by	A. K. Antony
In office 24 May 1982 – 25 March 1987
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	E. K. Nayanar
In office 28 December 1981 – 17 March 1982
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	President's rule
In office 25 March 1977 – 25 April 1977
Preceded by	C. Achutha Menon
Succeeded by	A. K. Antony
Minister of Home Affairs, Government of Kerala[3]
In office 25 September 1971 – 25 March 1977
Chief Minister	C. Achutha Menon
Preceded by	C. Achutha Menon
Succeeded by	K. M. Mani
Leader of Opposition in Kerala Legislative Assembly
In office 26 March 1987 – 17 June 1991
In office 25 January 1980 – 20 October 1981
In office 29 October 1978 – 7 October 1979
In office 6 March 1967 – 1 November 1969
Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly[4]
In office 1967 (1967)–1996 (1996)
Constituency	Mala (7 Terms)
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha[4][5]
In office 1998 (1998)–1999 (1999)
Constituency	Thiruvananthapuram
In office 1999 (1999)–2004 (2004)
Constituency	Mukundapuram
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha[4][5]
In office 1995 (1995)–1997 (1997)
In office 1997 (1997)–1998 (1998)
In office 2004 (2004)–2005 (2005)
Member of the Travancore–Cochin Legislative Assembly[5][6]
In office 1 July 1949 – 23 March 1956
Personal details
Born	Kannoth Karunakara Marar (1918-07-05)5 July 1918 Chirakkal, Madras Presidency, British India (present day Kannur, Kerala, India)
Died	23 December 2010(2010-12-23) (aged 92) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Other political affiliations	Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran)
Spouse	Kalyanikutty Amma ​ ​ (m. 1954; died 1993)​
Children	K. Muraleedharan Padmaja Venugopal
Parents	Thekkedathu Ravunni Marar Kannoth Kalyani Amma
Residence(s)	Kannur, Thrissur, Kerala
As of 2 November, 2007 Source: Government of Kerala

Kannoth Karunakaran (5 July 1918 – 23 December 2010) was an Indian politician who served as the fifth chief minister of Kerala in 1977, from 1981 to March 1982, from May 1982 to 1987 and from 1991 to 1995. He is the founder of the Indian National Congress (INC)-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition, which governed the state in the periods of 1982-87, 1991-96, 2001-06 and 2011-16; and currently is the main opposition in Kerala since 2016^[update].^[7][8] He has also served as the Union Minister of Industry from 1995 to 1996 and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly for four terms- 1967 to 1969, 1978 to 1979, 1980 to 1981 and 1987 to 1991. He also has the distinction of being one of the longest serving Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leaders in the country, holding that post from 1967 to 1995.

Karunakaran was close to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.^[7] At the peak of his career in the 1980s and 1990s, he enjoyed considerable access, confidence and control at the All India Congress Committee (AICC), such that he had an important role in helping P. V. Narasimha Rao become Prime Minister of India. He played a crucial role in nurturing and strengthening the INC into a strong political party in Kerala and enjoyed mass support of not just party workers but the entire anti-communist bloc that was active in Kerala.^[9] He is also credited with bringing development to multiple sectors in Kerala by spearheading key projects, including Kochi Airport, the country’s first public-private international airport, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, and Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.^[10]