E-Voting Made Easier: What Shareholders Need To Know About The New CDSL, NSDL Apps

The two main securities depositories in India — Central Depository Services and National Securities Depository — have launched a new feature in their investor apps that makes it easier for shareholders to make informed decisions when voting on important company matters.

The feature, rolled out on July 7, is now live on CDSL's ‘MyEasi' app and NSDL's ‘Speed-e' app. It integrates recommendations from proxy advisory firms directly into the e-voting platform.

This means shareholders can now view expert advice on corporate resolutions. For example, the shareholders will be able to get timely and accurate information on topics such as board appointments or executive pay. This is expected to help shareholders in casting their vote, without needing to visit separate websites.

Until now, this kind of access was largely available only to institutional investors. Retail investors had to go to the websites of proxy advisory firms one by one to check recommendations before voting.

With this update, all shareholders — big and small — can see expert voting suggestions in one place and make a more informed choice.

Stakeholders Empowerment Services, Institutional Investor Advisory Services (IiAS), and InGovern Research are the three firms participating in the initiative. These firms provide professional assessments of proposals put forward by company management, helping investors understand the implications of their votes.

Investors still retain full control — they can choose whether or not to follow the advice and may even change their vote before final submission.

At the launch of the feature, SEBI Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey, said that the initiative is part of a broader effort to empower retail investors. He explained that shareholder voting is a key way to hold company management accountable and that collective retail participation can be powerful.

He further noted that SEBI has been working to simplify the e-voting process, which was earlier seen as too complicated and time-consuming. With this integrated feature and a single login system, the process has become much more user-friendly.