After all the alliances and arithmetic, the party is likely to ________ a majority in the assembly election.

The blank needs a phrasal verb meaning to barely manage to achieve or obtain something with difficulty.

Option 1 -> scrape through -> means to barely pass or succeed, but doesn't fit the context of obtaining a majority.

Option 2 -> scrape together -> means to manage to collect or gather something with difficulty, fitting perfectly for achieving a majority.

Option 3 -> tape together -> means to join things with tape, which doesn't make sense in political context.

Option 4 -> shape together -> is not a standard phrasal verb and doesn't fit the meaning needed.

When a political party works hard to gather just enough support to win, they scrape together a majority. It's like collecting coins from under couch cushions - you're gathering what you need bit by bit, often with considerable effort and barely managing to get enough.