K. Karunakaran

K. Karunakaran
Union Minister for Industry[1][2]
In office
11 June 1995 – 16 May 1996
Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao
Preceded byAjit Singh
Succeeded bySuresh Prabhu
5th Chief Minister of Kerala
In office
24 June 1991 – 16 March 1995
Preceded byE. K. Nayanar
Succeeded byA. K. Antony
In office
24 May 1982 – 25 March 1987
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byE. K. Nayanar
In office
28 December 1981 – 17 March 1982
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byPresident's rule
In office
25 March 1977 – 25 April 1977
Preceded byC. Achutha Menon
Succeeded byA. K. Antony
Minister of Home Affairs, Government of Kerala[3]
In office
25 September 1971 – 25 March 1977
Chief MinisterC. Achutha Menon
Preceded byC. Achutha Menon
Succeeded byK. 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)
ConstituencyMala (7 Terms)
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha[4][5]
In office
1998 (1998)–1999 (1999)
ConstituencyThiruvananthapuram
In office
1999 (1999)–2004 (2004)
ConstituencyMukundapuram
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)
Died23 December 2010(2010-12-23) (aged 92)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Political partyIndian National Congress
Other political
affiliations
Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran)
Spouse
Kalyanikutty Amma
(m. 1954; died 1993)
ChildrenK. 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 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.[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]

  1. ^ Babu, Sathish (18 October 2014). "K. KARUNAKARAN". Prominent Indian Personalities. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Former Kerala Chief Minister Karunakaran passes away". The Hindu. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  3. ^ "KERALA's FIRST LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY". Information & Public Relations Department. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Shri K. Karunakaran and Mala". mala.co.in. Mala.co.in. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "K. Karunakaran". niyamasabha.org. Information System Section, Kerala Legislative Assembly, Thiruvananthapuram. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "KERALA NIYAMASABHA: K.KARUNAKARAN". stateofkerala.in. stateofkerala.in. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Who was K Karunakaran?". Press Trust of India. NDTV. 23 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  8. ^ "As it happened: TMC, AIADMK retain power; BJP takes Assam, Left Kerala". Hindustan Times. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Former Kerala Chief Minister Karunakaran passes away". The Hindu. 23 December 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Karunakaran: A titan of Kerala politics". Deccan Herald. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2022.