The government on Friday said it has received multiple expressions of interest for the strategic sale of NMDC Steel.

Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power, JSW Steel, the Adani group and the Vedanta group are likely to have bid for the government’s majority stake in NMDC Steel.

“The transaction will now move to the second stage,” the department of investment and public asset management (Dipam) said in a tweet.

Friday was the last date for submitting bids for NMDC Steel. The government had last month invited preliminary bids for the strategic sale of NMDC’s Nagarnar Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh.

At present, the government holds a 60.79 per cent stake in NMDC Steel, which is the steel manufacturing facility of India’s largest iron ore producer NMDC.

The Centre plans to divest its 50.79 per cent shareholding along with management control to a strategic buyer through a two-stage competitive bidding process.

In response to pre-bid queries received from interested bidders, Dipam had earlier this month said the ministry of corporate affairs on October 6 approved the demerger of the steel manufacturing unit at Nagarnar from NMDC. The demerged entity would be NMDC Steel.

Subsequent to the demerger, shares of NMDC Steel will be listed on the BSE, the NSE and Calcutta Stock Exchange.