WATCH: 'History made' as SNP steals Ayr seat in Holyrood election
Siobhian Brown was emotional after the victory.
Last updated 7th May 2021
Ayr was at the centre of one of the biggest shocks in the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election.
The SNP has taken hold of the constituency by a margin of just 170 votes.
The seat, which covers Ayr, Prestwick and Troon, was held by John Scott of the Conservatives for 21 years. But he was denied the chance of another term by former SNP Councillor, Siobhian Brown.
A total of 43,561 votes were cast which is a turnout of 68.37%.
The votes for each candidate were as follows.
As well as the seat in Ayr, the SNP party captured East Lothian from Labour and Edinburgh Central from the Tories, with former SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson gaining the seat in the capital which had previously been held by the Conservative Holyrood leader Ruth Davidson.
Elsewhere in Ayrshire, the SNP have held on to both Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South constituencies, as well as Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley.
The count for the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency is still to be held on Saturday 8th May. It was formerly held by SNP's Jeane Freeman who announced she was standing down in August 2020.
With many other constituencies still to be counted on Saturday, as well as the crucial regional list, it is not yet clear if Nicola Sturgeon's party will get the overall majority it is seeking.
The SNP's success in some constituencies could see it lose seats on the South of Scotland list - where it picked up three MSPs in 2016.
The Tories also managed to hold on to Eastwood, with former leader Jackson Carlaw re-elected there, despite coming under pressure from the SNP, who hold the corresponding seat at Westminster.
Ms Sturgeon said if her party is returned to government, she will be straight back to work, focused on tackling the ongoing coronavirus crisis - with the pandemic having meant there was no traditional overnight counting after Thursday's Holyrood election.
But she also stressed that when the time is right'', she should be able to offer Scots “the choice of a better future'' in a second independence referendum.
Ms Sturgeon, who comfortably defeated Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to claim Glasgow Southside, said afterwards: “My focus, if we are re-elected as the government, is to get back to work to steer the country through the crisis and into recovery.
“That remains the case. But once the crisis is over, and if there is a majority in the parliament for an independence referendum, people should have the right to choose our future. Scotland's future should always be in Scotland's hands.''