K. Karunakaran

Shri. K. Karunakaran full name :Kannoth Karunakaran Maaraar (born July 5, 1918 in Chirakkal, Kannoor district, Kerala, India), to Shri. Kannoth Ramunni Maarar and Shrimathi. Kannoth Kalyani Amma is an Indian politician, and former member member of the Indian National Congress.

He went to Thrishur and joined Raja's High School & College of arts. Like many during his time, he entered into the world of politics during India's freedom struggle. He started off as an activist in the "Kochi Rajya Prajaa-Mandhalam"(Kochi State People's Unit) and moved to Congress. Entered the electoral politics with his win into the Thrissur Muncipal Council from 1945–1947. He was a founding member of INTUC(Indian National Trade Union Congress). He was elected 7 times to the Kerala legislative assembly between 1965 and 1995 mainly from the Maala constituency in Thrissur. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee from 1969. In 1995, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha and served as the minister of industries in the Cabinet for a year. He has been the Chief Minister of Kerala for 4 times.

On 31 March, 2005 Shri. K. Karunakaran (known to his followers as 'leader') broke away from the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee(KPCC) and the All India Congress Committee(AICC) to form his own party called the "National Congress Indira" with his son, K Muraleedharan who was expelled from Kerala Congress, as its president eventhough Maarar had once declared that he would "prefer death" than to promote his childrens political future. His daughter Padmaja Venugopal is also active in politics.

On 1 may 2005 he formed a new political party called National Congress Indira at Trichur , splitting the Indian national Congress in Kerala