Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson last night said there had been a “storm” in the north-east as the party took several seats in the region.
Ms Davidson said the large scale SNP losses across the country meant that “Indy ref 2 was dead”.
While Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see six Labour gains across Scotland tonight.
“Everyone had written us off but we managed huge gains and slashing SNP majorities that were in five figures.”
Ms Davidson said: “It’s a tremendous result for the Scottish Conservatives all across the north-east.
“I think the result in the north-east was two things – first was the rejection of Nicola Sturgeon’s attempts to ram through another independence referendum but it was also the sense that the north-east was the forgotten part of Scotland by the SNP.
“They feel there is a central belt focus from this SNP government, they see the settlement for local councils, they see the massive increase in business rates and they feel like they are being used as a cash cow, the SNP want to take the fishermen back into the common fisheries policy, people see the oil and gas industry and how the training that was promised has not been delivered.
“I think there was a big storm that happened in the north-east.”