Final answer:
Mr. Singh requires additional shareholders' support to demand a poll under the Companies Act rules.
In the case of The Darkroom Windowshade Company, investors 1 and 2 need support from others, as their combined shares do not constitute a majority. With the addition of investor 3's shares, they would reach a control level over the company's decisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mr. Singh holds 4% of a company's voting shares and wishes to demand a poll vote at the company's general meeting. Under the Companies Act, to successfully demand a poll, Mr. Singh would need additional support.
The specific rules may vary by jurisdiction, but commonly, shareholders representing at least 10% of the voting rights need to support the demand for a poll.
In the given scenario of The Darkroom Windowshade Company, the company has 100,000 shares outstanding. To change the company's top management, more than 50% of the voting power would be required.
Investors 1 and 2 together have 38,000 shares, representing 38% of the voting power. Therefore, to ensure control, they would require support from other investors representing at least 12% more of the voting power.
Although investors 1 and 2 together hold a significant portion of the shares, they cannot be certain of always getting their way because they do not have a majority (over 50%).
They would need the support of at least another investor, such as investor 3 who holds 15% of the shares, to surpass the 50% threshold. In a situation where investors 1 and 2 vote together with investor 3, they would control 53% of the voting power, thus having enough votes to change the company's top management.