Public anger in Aberdeen over the controversial Marischal Square development was identified as a factor in a major swing from Labour to the SNP.
Nationalist politicians and activists said there were a wide range of issues, both at a UK and Scottish level, which played a part in the dramatic results in the two city seats.
But the SNP said local grievances with the Labour-led council administration played strongly on the doorsteps.
The SNP broke Labour’s stranglehold over Aberdeen North, which dated back to 1935, with a massive 13,000 majority for Kirsty Blackman.
In Aberdeen South, Dame Anne Begg was ousted by former council leader Callum McCaig, who won with a majority of more than 7,000.
Mr McCaig said: “Local issues were playing very heavily in the earlier part of the campaign and almost exclusively the council and the disastrous leadership of the Labour administration.
“The pay rises came up many a time and Marischal Square so much, and that goes a long way to seeing a rejection of the Labour party on local issues.”
Graham Dickson, SNP council group spokesman and Mrs Blackman’s campaign manager in Aberdeen South, said: “In Aberdeen we had an almost perfect storm with a disastrous local council that certainly cost Labour a huge number of votes here. It was raised on the doors a lot.
“But I think also Labour being in bed with the Tories during the referendum and within the council has lost them their credibility with many people who are wondering if they will stick up for working folk across the city.”
The election result was another chapter in what has been a meteoric rise for Mr McCaig and Mrs Blackman, who were first elected to Aberdeen City Council in 2007 at the age of 22 and 21 respectively.
Now the friends will go to Westminster together.
Mr McCaig said: “I’ve known Kirsty for a huge amount of time. It has been really nice going through this process with someone who I’m close with and who I know and like, and it will be great going down to Westminster together.”
He added that he “never thought” it would be possible.
Mr McCaig said: “Before the campaign proper started I had serious doubts about whether the polls would become reality and it looks like they didn’t become reality, they underestimated what was going to happen. This is seismic stuff in terms of political change.”