SURREY – British Columbia’s second city followed the general trend on election night: The New Democratic Party held their seats, but with one more district up for grabs this time, the opposition party actually lost ground.

“It’s disappointing,” said the NDP's Sue Hammell who won re-election in newly redrawn Surrey-Green Timbers.

Earlier in the night, with results only starting to trickle in, the veteran MLA had defined success as an NDP majority in both Surrey and the province. Neither happened, as the NDP and Liberals split Surrey’s eight seats.

Kevin Falcon, Dave Hayer, Gordon Hogg, and newcomer Stephanie Cadieux will represent Surrey for the Liberals under Premier Gordon Campbell’s third mandate.

Rejoining Hammell in the opposition ranks will be incumbents Harry Bains, Bruce Ralston, and Jagrup Brar who switched districts after redistribution made his re-election in Surrey-Panorama unlikely.

Judging by the crowd’s response, the star of the night at the Grand Taj Banquet Hall – where Drina Allen was the only one absent among Surrey's eight NDP candidates – was Brar who in the end needed no vote-splitting help in what had promised to be one of the province’s tightest races.

Brar joined the other winning candidates in praising Carole James’s leadership and saying he had no regrets about his party’s campaign strategy.

But attributing the disappointing results to the greater faith British Columbians have in the Liberals to guide the economy was a tacit admission the NDP had failed to achieve its primary campaign goal.

Still, there was plenty of feisty talk as all seven NDP candidates in attendance made speeches, with the four winners promising to fight for better healthcare, lower tuitions and a higher minimum wage.

And Rocky III’s Eye of the Tiger blared as supporters began to file out.

Rob Annandale reports for The Tyee.