query: How many times did K. Karunakaran serve as the Chief Minister of Kerala, and what were the dates of each tenure?
answer: K. Karunakaran served as the Chief Minister of Kerala four times: for a brief period from March 1977 to April 1977, another short term from December 1981 to March 1982, followed by a brief period of president's rule from May 1982 to March 1987, and from June to March 1995.