An MP candidate walked out of an Ayr election count before the result was announced as die-hard Labour voters deserted the party in droves.
Labour councillor Louise McPhater did not take to the podium alongside the SNP’s Philippa Whitford and Conservative Derek Stillie to hear the declaration.
The Labour vote plunged by nearly 12 per cent in Central Ayrshire, with Councillor McPhater totting up 6,583.
Lib Dem candidate Emma Farthing who got 2,283 votes did not show up at the Citadel count at all on Thursday.
Newly elected MP Dr Whitford won convincingly in the early hours with 21,486 votes - scooping up a nine per cent gain for the SNP.
In the end the Conservatives did not present a major challenge with candidate Derek Stillie bagging 16,182 votes.
The Nats and Tories competed to woo loyal Labour supporters in the run-up to polling day.
But the SNP's huge campaign of knocking on doors and online promotion managed to drown out the message from the Conservatives and Labour.
Despite defeat former goal keeper Mr Stillie vowed the Conservatives would make a comeback in Ayrshire again.
The 45-year-old Prestwick lawyer said he was pleased his party increased its share of the vote in the area.
It showed a slight improvement of 0.4 per cent in Central Ayrshire since the last election in 2017.
He said: “Something happened with the Labour vote We expected it would perhaps come to us and we would do better We have seen in Central Ayrshire and across Scotland that the Labour vote has in the main gone to the SNP. I think tomorrow there will be an awful lot of people who moved their vote from Labour to the SNP waking up and wondering what the heck just happened.”
He said Councillor McPhater should have stayed to thank the people who voted for her. He also pointed out how the Liberal Democrat candidate had not even been present.
Earlier during the night North Ayrshire Irvine Councillor McPhater said she did not want to comment.
A wave of political social media propaganda targeted Ayrshire residents in the run-up to polling day.
One Facebook advert (see below) framed in traditional Labour red urged people to vote for Dr Whitford. The sponsored film, which had no sign of the SNP’s trade mark yellow, looked more like Labour branded publicity despite advocating the former surgeon.
It featured a man telling residents it was a two-horse race in Central Ayrshire between Boris Johnson’s buddy and Dr Whitford. Paid for by anti-Brexit movement Our Future, Our Choice it urged voters to put party loyalty aside and vote tactically.
