Holyrood poll in night of chaos

The SNP inflicted some serious blows on Labour but the overall pattern will not become clearer until later.

Problems with a new electronic counting system being used for the first time in Scotland meant several counts were suspended until later.

And as many as 100,000 votes may have been discounted across Scotland because they were classed as spoilt papers.

The problems caused widespread anger among politicians and led to demands for an inquiry.

Amid the chaos, there were some spectacular gains and losses.

Alex Salmond was re-elected to Holyrood in Gordon, where he ejected the Liberal Democrat's Nora Radcliffe and achieved a majority of 2,062. And he said it was "entirely possible" that Labour would have its lowest share of the vote in Scotland since 1922.

Deputy SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon scored a similar triumph in Glasgow Govan, where she captured the seat from Labour at the third time of trying. The SNP also robbed Labour of Kilmarnock and Loudon, Central Fife, Dundee West and Stirling.

But in some areas Labour defied expectations. Cathie Craigie held onto Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, while Elaine Murray increased her majority over the Tories in Dumfries.

While the SNP snatched Gordon from the Liberal Democrats, Nicol Stephen's party took Dunfermline West from Labour - but then the Tories snatched Roxburgh and Berwickshire from them. Bashir Ahmad became Scotland's first Asian MSP, elected for the SNP on the Glasgow list.